Daily Gospel Reflection for January 18, 2020

Today's Gospel: Mark 2:13-17 When I was a child I always found it interesting that my parents rarely checked my homework. I was an average student, who didn’t perform at the top of my class, but I knew well enough how to avoid failing. I was self-motivated and didn’t need too much direction and if I need help I would look for it. My brother on the other hand struggled with school and my parents showed constant concern and intervention to make sure he wouldn’t fail his classes. Sometimes I resented this attention. I wished they would give me the time and the consideration to check on my work and make sure I was doing it okay. For a long time I thought that maybe I could have done better if I had had their support. In my later years, I remember asking my mom, why she never checked my work, and her response was a surprising, “You were doing okay, so I never had to worry about you like I did your brother.” Her lack of checking on me was her way of saying "You’re doing fine and I know that you’ll be fine." My brother, on the other hand, needed that extra help and she knew it. Hearing those words was an indirect acknowledgement that she had checked on me but she didn’t need to hover, and she knew my brother needed the stronger support. Today’s Gospel reminds me of this moment. Jesus conversed with the sinners and the tax collectors because they needed Him “more”. When he responds to the Pharisees' comment by saying the healthy do not need doctors, He points out that it doesn’t make sense to sit with the well-taken-care-of because they are not in need that way. The Gospel story shows how Jesus is there for all of us, but that there are those who need Him more than others, even if they may not realize they need Jesus’ help.

Ponder:

While we all need God’s love, are there some who are more deprived than others? How can we show God’s love to those who need it most?

Pray:

Lord, help me to be merciful to those who need the most mercy, help me to show kindness for those who have not heard kind words. Let me recognize those who need Your love the most.