The Tongue Series

The Tongue

Scripture Reading:

Mark 3:20-21

Jesus came with his disciples into the house.

Again the crowd gathered,

making it impossible for them even to eat.

When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him,

for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

Reflection

Dear sisters and brothers,

There is a Tamil poem which says that, the wound that is caused by fire can be healed or cured, but the wound that is caused by the tongue cannot be healed or cured. It remains for the lifetime of the person who is hurt.

The tongue is so sharp that it can create a deep wound in our hearts and our minds. It is not easy to be cured or healed.

Today, we read in the gospel reading that the relatives of Jesus hurt him in the same manner.

Why did they hurt him with their tongues?

Because, they were jealous of him.

Why do I say that?

The scripture says that ‘they heard of this’.

What did they hear?

Jesus came with his disciples into the house and the crowd gathered around him.

You may ask why the relatives were jealous.

Because, they saw Jesus, who was growing up with them, has come and the crowd gathered around him.

They could not believe that Jesus could attract the crowd around him.

They saw Jesus as someone who has outgrown their situation and he stands tall amidst them.

They were not able to come to terms with this reality.

Jesus did many more things that they did not have time to even eat.

Jealous relatives used this situation to stop Jesus from doing God’s work in his life.

Did they succeed in stopping Jesus and God’s work?

They thought that they could stop Jesus.

But, they could not.

They thought that they could stop his spirit.

But, they could not.

Jesus might have been hurt, and felt dispirited…but he overcame it with his Father’s love.

He offered himself as we read in Hebrews (Hebrews 9:14):

The Blood of Christ, ?who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,?cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.

Today, Jesus calls each one of us to heal our wounds with his sacrifice, forgiveness, and love.

The question is: Are we ready to imitate Jesus in our lives?

May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all. Amen…