Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves” (Mt 11:28-29). The Lord invites us to find peace and joy in Him this Sabbath as we set aside time to worship and rest.
PREPARE
“Remember the sabbath day—keep it holy. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God.”
Sabbath comes from the Hebrew word “Shabbat”, which literally means “to stop.” Keeping holy the Sabbath is not just a commandment, but an invitation. An invitation from the Lord to stop our work, stop our worrying, stop our striving. An opportunity to fid rest and to be renewed. A chance to refocus on the things that truly matter - the Lord, family, community. In our culture, Sunday has become a day to “catch up” on everything that didn’t get done during the week, and any time left over is often seen as an opportunity just to “get ahead” for next week. But we Christians have a chance now to remember what it means to keep the Sabbath. During this pandemic the Lord is calling us back to Himself, offering us a chance to reclaim the gift of the Sabbath, reminding us again what it means to “keep it holy.”
A basic principle for observing the Sabbath is only to do things that can be considered “rest” or “worship”. Here are a few ideas to consider to begin more to enter into the Sabbath. Maybe pick just one thing to focus on this Sunday, then next Sunday keep that practice in addition to a second one. And then the next Sunday add a third, to slowly over time begin to enter into this great gift of the Sabbath more and more.
Keep the Lord at the center - read the Mass readings ahead of time, participate in Mass, make more time for prayer, spend some extra time in silence focusing on the Lord
Try not to work - resist the urge to check your email, or catch up on a few things, and leave it for Monday
Plan ahead - take care of what needs to be done before Sunday, so plan the rest of your week to make sure you get the laundry done, have gone grocery shopping, etc.so you don’t have to do any of it on Sunday
Spend the day “screen free” - try to stay off social media, internet news, and your phone as much as possible. If you can’t make it the whole day try to go for at least a few hours
Be intentional with others - if you live with others (ie. family, roommates), is there something you can do together like play a game or go on a hike? If you live alone, can you reach out to a good friend and catch up?
Leisure, not entertainment - try to do things that are life giving; binge-watching a favorite show or playing video games for hours rarely leaves anyone with a new zeal for life. Read a good book, go on a long walk, develop a hobby.
PARTICIPATE
“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mt 18:20). Each Sunday we are called to “keep holy the Sabbath” and although that may look different for right now we will still come together as a St. Ann community through the gift of technology.
MASS READINGS
GIVING
Take a few minutes to give to St. Ann Parish. Please give generously and sacrificially as an act of faith during these difficult times. You can give online:
After giving, offer ways to be generous of your whole self during this trying time for our world.
“Each must do as already determined without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.”
PROCESS
“He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.” (Mk 1:31)
Last week, Jesus healed a man who had been afflicted by a demon. As you may recall, he healed that man through a calm command. The same Word breathed out over the formless void that spoke the world into being spoke to that man and restored order into his life. In today’s Gospel, Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law not through His words, but approaching her and taking her hand.
Christ the bridegroom came to her, sought her, took her by the hand, and was a helpmate to her. Whereas in last week’s Gospel, Jesus is proclaimed as the divine Word of God, the divine Logos, today, Christ is proclaimed as the bridegroom of our souls. He knows the longings and imperfections of our lives and seeks to satisfy them with the love that only He who is Love itself can provide. He desires to come into our souls, to take us by the hand, just as he took the hand of this simple woman. A woman whose name we never learn, and whose story consists of two verses. Yet still her story is told, and her story echoes in our own hearts every time we allow Christ to approach our own sick beds.
With this healing touch of Christ, she is now able to overcome the despair felt by Job, who declares life “drudgery” (Jb 7:1) and his days like that of a slave. In response to our original sin, God placed on Adam and all his descendents the punishment of toil, but from the beginning it was not so. Job sees only the punishment, but Simon’s mother-in-law has received a great gift. She has returned to the blessed days in the garden when Adam and Eve labored alongside God in caring for the earth, and her response, given in gratitude, is service. There is no lingering fatigue from the disease that had kept her bed ridden, but there is a deeper significance yet to this miracle of physical healing. Christ heals our bodies as outward signs of that more perfect gift that He offers in healing our souls. When Simon’s mother-in-law experienced that deeper, more perfect healing, her response was to cooperate in Christ’s own ministry. Once served, once touched, once filled with God’s love, she can say with Jesus, “I have come not to be served, but to serve” (cf. Mt 20:28).
PRACTICE
Jesus loves bringing healing to people. Sometimes he visits the sick (in the case of Simon’s mother-in-law) and other times the sick are brought to him (“they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons”) (Mark 4:24).
Who in your life is sick and in need of healing? Have you brought them to Jesus? Perhaps you can bring them to Jesus by placing them at his feet in prayer. Consider visiting them and praying with them and asking for healing. Or maybe you can bring Jesus to them by bringing healing into their life just by listening to them and being with them, which was what Job seemed to need in his time of distress.
What needs healing in your own life? What has been a source of stress, resentment, hardship? What takes away your peace? Now is the time to bring this to the Lord. Be honest with him about what is ailing you. As St. Jerome tells us, “for if the sick person is too ashamed to show his wound to the doctor, the medicine cannot heal what it does not know.” Do not be afraid to bring your illness to Jesus - see how quickly and easily he heals people in the Gospel and have confidence that he loves you and wants to heal you!
Jesus often heals us through community, and the Gospels make clear we are not meant to live the Christian life alone. Just as people brought the ill and possessed among them to Jesus, we are still called to bring each other to Jesus today. One of the great ways we can do that at St. Ann is by joining a Connect Group. Connect Groups are mid-sized groups of 16 to 20 people who want to be in community as well as deepen their faith. They are places where people are known, loved, and cared for while being encouraged to continue their journey of discipleship. If you have not already joined a Connect Group, consider learning more about them and perhaps trying out one in the next week or two.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Think about how you can continue to reflect on God’s word to you this week, and how you can invite others into the conversation. You can use the questions below for personal reflection, or to grow with others. Be creative! You could consider gathering with friends and family, or starting a group text, or a group FaceTime, to discuss the questions below.
What stands out to you from the readings this week? What might God be speaking to you at this time?
What word did God speak to you last week? How did that affect your week?
Have you ever felt like Job, as if “man’s life on earth [is] a drudgery” (Job 7:1). In what ways?
Have you ever experienced healing from the Lord, perhaps in a physical, emotional, or spiritual way?
Who brings/brought you to Jesus when you are/were ill? Who have you brought to Jesus for healing?
Why do you think St. Paul says “I have become all things to all, to save at least some” (1 Cor. 9:22)? Have you ever tried to be like another person to try to bring them to Jesus?
Has your experience of work lately been more of a drudgery or fruitful labor?
KIDS
ACTIVITY
Act out this scene! One child be Jesus and the others (or parents) be those who are sick and need healing.
CONNECTION
In this Sunday’s Gospel we find Jesus healing the sick and casting out demons. When Jesus meets people who are sick or in pain he cares for them. Many people come to Jesus for healing including Simon’s mother-in-law. Jesus brings goodness and health to those in need.
PRACTICE
This week, take time to pray for those who might be sick around you. Maybe you have a relative who is sick and needs your prayers. Or maybe you have a friend who is feeling a little under the weather. Ask God to be with them, heal them, and care for them.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Why do people who are hurt and sick come to Jesus?
How does Jesus show love and care for people who are sick?
What does Jesus do after he heals people?
Where do you find Jesus’ healing love in the world today?