Jesus' Purpose is to Preach the Kingdom

02-07-2021Weekly ReflectionFr. Arul Doss

Dear people of God,

Good morning to you all! May the peace of God be with you!!

On this fifth Sunday of ordinary time, in the three readings we are given the inner sense of three different people and their relationship to what the Father has asked of them. We can put them in this order: Job speaks before knowing of the salvation given to us in Christ Jesus. Jesus speaks to us of His inner calling to proclaim the Good News. Saint Paul then tells us how to proclaim that Good News so that all can come to know Jesus.

Most of us probably already know the story of Job. He was a man who believed completely in the Lord and had receive enormous blessings. The devil tries to undo this faith of Job. Eventually all the blessings are removed and sufferings are heaped on Job. While Job questions what is happening, he never doubts nor loses faith. Yes, we know that in the end, Job received so many gifts from God because his faith did not fail. Are we that strong in faith? Can we trust God even when we question? Do we accept both blessings and sufferings from our Lord?

The second reading, from the First Letter to the Corinthians, is Saint Paul’s account of how he tries to live the Good News. Saint Paul is clear: I must preach the Good News! Here we see Saint Paul not just enduring all of the trials and tribulations, but recognizing that preaching the Good News is required of him because he believes in Jesus. Does our faith impel us to share our faith with others? Are we able to tell others about our faith in Jesus?

The Gospel today is from Saint Mark. We are still at the beginning of this Gospel. Jesus is just beginning His public ministry. What is truly strong in the Gospel today is that everyone is looking for Jesus for miracles of healing and driving out demons and that there is no place for Him to be away from the people. Jesus responds to that by saying: “Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose, have I come?”

The whole purpose of the life of Jesus is to preach the Kingdom, to proclaim the Good News. The values of kingdom of God is peace, love, joy, healing, forgiveness and justice. God loves us and invites us to share His life. Let us believe in it.

Have a happy and Blessed Sunday!!
Yours in the Lord,
Fr. Doss