February 5, 2006
Psalm 147 READING 2:
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
GOSPEL: Mark 1:29 -39
A young man came to see me. He was really down, depressed. He told me that since he came to Florida for graduate school, he has written a love letter to his girlfriend up at the University of Kentucky every single day. He said that he thought she would appreciate the extra effort to put a stamp on and mail each letter and he had been doing this every day for eight months. Now she has run off and married the mailman! “Praise the Lord who heals the broken hearted.” Whether distracted or not, we all have a dream. We each have a vision of life that corresponds to our convictions, embodies our uniqueness, and expresses the fire within us. If security represents our highest aspiration, we may have lots of insurance; if pleasure is our priority, we will distribute our time and our money in hedonistic pursuits; if scholarship rules, we will be properly pedigreed and settled in an academic environment. Even if our dream is unrealistic or temporarily on hold due to uncontrollable circumstances, our dream energizes our lives and inspires our ambitions. The Rolling Stones have a song they may sing at half-time tonight called: “You don’t always get what you want.” We see that in our lives and we will see it tonight in the super bowl game. Receivers will run their route and quarterbacks will throw the ball, but sometimes the receiver will not be able to hold onto the catch or the receiver may catch the ball outside of bounds. The pass may be tipped or blocked or the quarterback may make a hurried or bad pass and it might be intercepted. The receiver may catch the ball and have it forced out of his hands when he’s tackled and the opposition might recover it. Everything could go perfect and another player may get flagged for a penalty. We’re going to see some terrific plays in this ballgame, but if we choose a side, we will likely see many more disappointing than successful results. “Praise the Lord who heals the brokenhearted.” I was thinking about our dreams or visions this week as I heard about the death of Coretta Scott King. Her husband, Martin Luther King had a dream that he shared at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. He had a powerful way with words and that speech is one of the most spectacular in our history. He said he dreamed of a day when men would be judged not the color of their skin but by the integrity of their character. Dr. King did not appeal to our nation’s fears, he appealed to our nation’s ideals and hopes and vision. He took the power to terrify and instead of terror, he transformed it into the power to forgive and to love. Like so many through human history that refused to compromise their integrity for the status quo, he was murdered. “Praise the Lord who heals the brokenhearted.” The disciples said to Jesus, “Everyone is looking for you.” By the time Mark recorded these words he knew how profound they were: everyone is looking for you, Lord Jesus. That’s the bottom line of the human condition: our hearts are restless until they rest in Him. He is the dawn that brings calm after the stormy night, the light that pierces our wounded hearts and heals us. My friends, life doesn’t go according to plan much of the time. We are more likely to suffer incomplete passes than touchdowns. But when we live with integrity, the good news when the game is done will be that we win the greatest title of all: “Well done good and faithful servant!” come and enter the real “hall of fame.”Fr. Jeff McGowan |
