Focus
Sometimes we need to refocus.
Jesus went out again beside the lake; the whole crowd gathered around him, and he taught them. As he was walking along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him. And as he sat at dinner in Levi’s house, many tax-collectors and sinners were also sitting with Jesus and his disciples—for there were many who followed him. When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax-collectors, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.’ - Mark 2:13-17
We may start out with the best of intentions, but somehow, our focus gets misplaced.
In today's Gospel reading, Jesus is questioned once again. Those who focus on the rules and the law find it difficult to understand why this man who claims to be from God, ignores the laws created to keep people righteous and godly.
Jesus tells them he is here for those who have fallen away, not for those who follow the law.
It makes sense, doesn't it? Shouldn't we want the ones who need help to be helped?
At Caritas, we feed the hungry. Occasionally, someone we feed will come in drunk or will be disorderly and we will have to deal with them. That doesn't mean we don't feed them. We don't turn them away. They are in need of help and nourishment, and that is why we are here.
Others will warn us, like the Pharisees tried to warn Jesus, saying this one causes trouble or has an addiction. We cannot change their behavior by banishing them. There is a good chance we cannot change their behavior at all, but isn't it better to feed them than to send them away hungry?
We can easily find ourselves getting caught up in the rules, making them more important than the mission. We need to remember why we are here, what we are called to do.
Jesus was not worried about becoming sick when healing the sick, or becoming a crook when dining with crooks. He was solid in his faith and purpose, and so must we be.
Our focus should be on doing God's work of loving one another and caring for one another, and that means we sometimes put ourselves at risk.
It goes with the territory.
Some people look at hard, dry ground and say you can't plant here, while others see potential for a bountiful harvest. It just takes a little work.
Jesus is up to it. Shouldn't we be as well?
More to come...