As we make our way from the joyous Christmas season to Ordinary Time, we do well to remember that Jesus may have been the co-eternal Son of God, but in His humanity could only be in one place at a time! During the three years of His public life, He really only reached a very small number of people. To reach the rest, He needed and still needs the help of His followers – that is, our help.
In Mark 1, 29-39, when Jesus returned from His time alone in prayer, He did not go back to Capernaum, although there were certainly more people to be healed and helped there. Instead He went on to synagogues all over Galilee, proclaiming His message of the Kingdom, and making it a reality by healing the sick and freeing those held “captive.” All of His ministry, for the remainder of the Gospel, would lead to His eventual washing of the disciples’ feet at the last Supper – after which He said, “As I have done, so you must do.”
The first chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark previews the importance of the theme of “availability.” For example, we do need to be available to those who are in genuine need. At the same time, there is what has been called the “poverty of availability.” No matter how generous and self-giving we are, we can only give so much. We all have our limits and we need to find a balance between people’s needs and our limited resources. We do not really “help” people by working ourselves to the point of burnout. We also need “quality time” to be with God, to pray, and to reflect on our priorities. Are our priorities the same as those of Jesus?
