Dirty Work

The WORD today (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011416.cfm) reminds me that God wants us to get our hands dirty in doing his work.

People work hard to advance in their careers - be it in corporate or their own business. They work hard and smart to advance on the corporate ladder or grow their business. As they grow, mature and become more successful, they get to delegate things. Their work becomes more of high level, strategic and decision making, and not the actual action oriented work they used to do. However, God reminds us today that in as far as serving him, we should be ready and willing do to the actual work.

God wants us to get our hands dirty for Him.

In the gospel, when a leper came to Jesus, Jesus did not just cure the leper by saying it. He got his hands dirty - literally and figuratively. Literally because lepers were outcasts and were unclean, and anyone who interacts with them, especially by touching them, is made unclean. Figuratively because it was Jesus himself who did the work. He did not ask his disciples or anyone to cleanse the leper. He got his hands dirty and did the actual act. We should too.

We should always be ready to do actual work for God. Just because we have achieved things in our careers doesn't mean we should act that way towards God. We should not be comfortable and just delegate service to God. We should do the actual work and be ready and willing to get our hands dirty as we serve our God.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another chance to love you. Thank you for the reminder. Lord, sorry for the times i am not willing to get my hands dirty for you for whatever reason. Sorry for all my excuses. May I have faith and love for you like Jesus, ready and willing to step out of the comfort zone and get my hands dirty in doing actual work for you, having in faith that you will use me and be with me to guide and protect me every step of the way. Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-

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January 14, 2016

Thursday of the First Week of Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 308

 

Reading 1 1 Sm 4:1-11

 

The Philistines gathered for an attack on Israel.
Israel went out to engage them in battle and camped at Ebenezer,
while the Philistines camped at Aphek.
The Philistines then drew up in battle formation against Israel.
After a fierce struggle Israel was defeated by the Philistines,
who slew about four thousand men on the battlefield.
When the troops retired to the camp, the elders of Israel said,
“Why has the LORD permitted us to be defeated today
by the Philistines?
Let us fetch the ark of the LORD from Shiloh
that it may go into battle among us
and save us from the grasp of our enemies.”

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there
the ark of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned upon the cherubim.
The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were with the ark of God.
When the ark of the LORD arrived in the camp,
all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth resounded.
The Philistines, hearing the noise of shouting, asked,
“What can this loud shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?”
On learning that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp,
the Philistines were frightened.
They said, “Gods have come to their camp.”
They said also, “Woe to us! This has never happened before. Woe to us!
Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods?
These are the gods that struck the Egyptians
with various plagues and with pestilence.
Take courage and be manly, Philistines;
otherwise you will become slaves to the Hebrews,
as they were your slaves.
So fight manfully!”
The Philistines fought and Israel was defeated;
every man fled to his own tent.
It was a disastrous defeat,
in which Israel lost thirty thousand foot soldiers.
The ark of God was captured,
and Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were among the dead.

 

Responsorial Psalm PS 44:10-11, 14-15, 24-25

 

R. (27b) Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Yet now you have cast us off and put us in disgrace,
and you go not forth with our armies.
You have let us be driven back by our foes;
those who hated us plundered us at will.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
You made us the reproach of our neighbors,
the mockery and the scorn of those around us.
You made us a byword among the nations,
a laughingstock among the peoples.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.
Why do you hide your face,
forgetting our woe and our oppression?
For our souls are bowed down to the dust,
our bodies are pressed to the earth.
R. Redeem us, Lord, because of your mercy.

 

Alleluia See Mt 4:23

 

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom
and cured every disease among the people.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel Mk 1:40-45

 

A leper came to him and kneeling down begged him and said,
“If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand,
touched the leper, and said to him,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made clean.
Then, warning him sternly, he dismissed him at once.
Then he said to him, “See that you tell no one anything,
but go, show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed;
that will be proof for them.”
The man went away and began to publicize the whole matter.
He spread the report abroad
so that it was impossible for Jesus to enter a town openly.
He remained outside in deserted places,
and people kept coming to him from everywhere.