Monday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
In today’s readings, I find a beautiful teaching on the value and necessity of faith, patience, and perseverance. Before, when I read this Gospel of Mark passage, I would be somewhat confused. Why would Jesus refuse to give “this generation” a sign? Why not just give it to them, and then they would believe and follow him? The answer, I think, is that the Pharisees in this account never had the intention of believing in Jesus in the first place. They came to him in doubt, testing him, and not seeking him. They asked to see a sign, but as our first reading from the book of James says, “he should ask in faith, not doubting.”
So, what, then is Jesus refusing them for a sign out of spite for them not believing in him? Actually, He is not refusing anyone anything. They are refusing him. By demanding a sign from Jesus before they make even a small commitment to follow him, they show that they have no interest in who he claims to be or what he claims to offer. In other words, they place higher value on what they think they know than anything Jesus could ever give them. Thinking they already possess wisdom, they don’t ask God for wisdom.
If only they would have made just a small commitment, a small act of faith, and walked with him consistently, bearing trial along the way, then they would have seen numerous signs and come to know the glory of the one they follow. They would not only have witnessed the power of Jesus before their eyes but also within their hearts. I say within their hearts because perseverance in the Faith brings about supernatural growth. A person who follows Jesus and perseveres becomes more like him along the way, until they are “perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
The psalm describes what this transformation of the heart looks like. First the psalmist thanks God, saying, “Before I was afflicted, I went astray.” Describing his life of following God, the psalmist revealed that he had gone astray, but that a trial he endured caused him to put more faith in God and follow Him more devoutly. We can guess that the psalmist went astray because he was prioritizing something before God, but through the transformation that could not have come about without perseverance, he ended up declaring, “The law of your mouth is to me more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces.” The psalmist has come to the point of realization and acceptance, that God is his ultimate fulfillment.
Reflection by Kaleb, seminarian
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections