2019 01 08 Reflection 436 (Fr. Ashil Joseph OP on Mk 6: 34-44)

Like us on facebook at   / dominicanministriesgoa   write to us: [email protected] Website: www.dominicans.in Let us be what he is Dear brothers and sisters, “As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” This is the first verse of the gospel today. It is very clear that Jesus is presented as a compassionate teacher. But to know the intensity of the compassion that he had we need to look at the previous verse which says that many were coming to them that they had no free time even to eat. So he along with disciples decide to go to a lonely place by boat so that they can have sometime for themselves. As they reach they see a great crowed again. Jesus forgets all about his hunger and tiredness and begins to engage himself in teaching them. The love that moved him to become flesh to raise the humanity from the misery flowed as compassion towards those helpless people. Words of St. Augustine makes this act of Jesus more clear. “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see the misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of people. That is what love looks like.” This love transformed Jesus’ physical hunger to huger for the souls. It transformed his tiredness to compassion for the people. This is what Jesus expects of us who follow him. He wants us to be what he is. That is, to be merciful as the heavenly father is merciful, to be compassionate and loving as he is compassionate and loving. Let us ask him to bless us and fill us with his love so that we can be what he is.