We are called to share God’s kingdom in a world crowded by so many voices and messages. Here’s today’s reflection from the Daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Thursday of Second Week of Ordinary Time here (Universalis Website)
Anyone who has been part of—or witnessed—a gathering crowd, will know the sense of excitement and also danger, particularly if the crowd is a protest gathering.
Passion can easily turn into anger. An uncontrolled crowd can become uncontrollable. A peaceful protest can easily be sabotaged and become something it was never intended to be.
The diversity of the crowd attracted to Jesus is significant. He has drawn people together from all over the region and beyond. People from different counties and cultures come to him. Those who are sick reach out to him for healing. But he doesn’t take advantage of his fame. At times, he hides from them, and silences the unclean spirits who submit to him, instructing them not to make him known. The crowd was so large and passionate that he feared being crushed— we can imagine a sense of chaos, even hysteria, and certainly danger as Jesus prepares his getaway in a boat.
Jesus, it seems, refuses to be either a crowd pleaser or a crowd Marshall. The signs and wonders he performs are not about gaining popularity for himself but declaring that the Kingdom of God is very near. In a jostling, growing, pressing crowd, the message can be lost. We too are called to share God’s kingdom in a world crowded by so many voices and messages. We don’t need to shout. We simply need to continue being faithful witnesses, quietly serving God in our daily lives, often away from the crowd.
Mass today is at St Dyfrig and St Samson’s Church at 10am
DAY BY DAY
If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 