Tuesday 31st January 2023. Read Hebrews 12:1-4, Ps. 22:26-28,30-32, Mark 5:21-43
“When he had entered, he said to them, ‘Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, took the child's father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was.” (Mark 5:39-40)
There are three things we need to get rid of in other for us to attain the blessed and happy life that God so designed for us; sin, fear, and doubt.
The word sin comes from a Greek word meaning “to miss the mark.” Like in the game of archery, each time we sin, it means we throw the arrow off course. No player is happy when he constantly misses, so he disciplines himself; he spends long hours in training to master how not to miss the target.
Sin (missing the mark, the ideals God has set for us) is a weight. It prevents us from being at our best. Dropping this weight requires discipline, constant meditation on God’s word, and self-mastery (that is, saying no to yourself; resisting your own urges, and fighting your thoughts and desires). No wonder the book of Hebrews says: “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:4) It is truly a battle but not one that is beyond you.
Another weight to drop is fear. Like the woman with the issue of blood, we must learn to drop our fears and stick to our convictions, we must overcome the crowd to touch the helm of Jesus’ garment. Fear protects us from taking risks but by so doing, they also protect us from victories, breakthroughs, and new discoveries.
Closely related to fear is doubt. It is a state of uncertainty about our faith in God. It is relating to God as though God is just a human being. Doubt is a heavy weight that we must drop. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus told the mourners in Jarius’ house that the little girl was only sleeping but as a result of their doubt, they laughed at Jesus. To them, Jesus was simply out of his mind to suggest the girl was sleeping.
Jesus did something very instructive. Just before raising the girl from the dead, Jesus put out all those who doubted. When we begin to doubt God, we prevent ourselves from receiving His miracles, and even when we see the extraordinary happen, we begin to rationalize, and we begin to explain things away.
The easiest way to drop the weights of sin, fear, and doubt is to remove yourself from the midst of people who tend to carry these weights. You must put certain persons out of your life; those who constantly lure you into sin, those who inspire fear in you always, and those who downplay the importance of God. Everybody cannot be your friend.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, take away from me any weight that pulls me down. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. St. John Bosco, Pray for us.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saint John Bosco, Priest, Bible Study: Hebrews 12:1-4, Ps. 22:26-28,30-32, Mark 5:21-43).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus Abu
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