Mark 1:29-39
As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the
house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon´s mother-in-law was
in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her
by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve
them. That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or
possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he
cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and
he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning,
while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and
there he prayed and Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found
him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered,
"Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message
there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout
Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
* * *
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for this time we will
spend together. I wish to step away from the world and all its activities to be
alone with you now. You are my beginning and my end: you created me, and you
are leading me home to you in heaven. Thank you for your love. I know I deserve
nothing from you and that my sins compound my unworthiness, yet you would still
enfold me in your unfathomable love.
Petition: Lord,
increase my love for prayer and the interior life.
1. A Man
for Others: Here is Jesus in action. He works tirelessly
from morning to night. He never thinks of himself. He never says he’s too tired
or too busy to serve someone or to give others part of his time. He is there
for everyone, and he keeps pushing himself to do more and more. He loves, and
his love compels him to give himself to everyone around him without counting
the cost. The whole city gathers to see him, and he opens his heart to all. He
teaches. He heals the sick. He casts out demons. He is a man for others.
2. A Man of
Prayer: After a full day of work, Jesus rested
for just a little while, and then he rose early for prayer. There was a balance
between his apostolic work and his life of prayer. Jesus wasn’t too busy to
seek the solitude necessary to speak heart-to-heart with his Father. He found
strength in prayer. He strengthened his resolve to follow his Father’s plan in
prayer. He was absorbed in prayer for so long that the others began to go in
search of him. Prayer wasn’t just a one-time activity: it was part of his daily
routine.
3. Everyone
Is Searching for Him: “Everyone is searching for you,” they
said when they found Christ. They expressed the desire of every person. We all
need God. He is the deepest desire of the human heart. God is searching for us,
too. Jesus gets up from his prayer and heads out to the next town. We are
searching for Christ, and he is searching for us. Where do we meet him? In
prayer. In prayer we speak heart-to-heart with the one whom we know loves us.
In prayer we can speak about the things that are important to us and about
those things that are most important to him. This vital encounter gives light
and strength to every other encounter we will have during the rest of the day.
Through prayer, our love for others is enkindled so that we can spend ourselves
tirelessly for others as Jesus did. Through prayer, we can be a men and women
for others.
Conversation
with Christ:
Lord, help me to put you first in my life by giving you the best of my
time. Help me not to give into laziness, but to rise early in the morning so
that I can be with you. I need you in my life. Help me to experience your love
so that I can share it with others. Help me to give myself to your plan of
salvation and to reach out to those who are searching for you. Help me to
hunger for you alone so that you will satisfy my hunger.
Resolution: I will invoke Our
Lord in short and simple prayers throughout today, telling him I love him and
asking for the grace of a greater intimacy with him through prayer.