I just love Jesus’ attitude in this Gospel passage. He’s a man on a mission and can’t be bothered by what other people are saying. Of course, this is true throughout the Gospels, but there’s something about the matter-of-fact way Jesus lays out his weekly schedule that gets me.
In a world full of distractions, some good, some not so much, it is easy to get overwhelmed with everything we “need” to get done: work, family, sports practice, volunteering, watching the big game, gardening, learning a new language or hobby, laundry, and ample time scrolling social media. It’s no wonder we are overwhelmed and over scheduled. While social media and the internet weren’t around in Jesus’ time, gossip and societal pressure were just as alive and pervasive.
Jesus clearly had a reputation if Herod’s plans were so plainly known. Herod felt threatened by Jesus because Jesus was doing all the things the Messiah was prophesied to do – heal the sick, cure the lame, make the blind see. Jesus was traveling, casting out demons and preaching to large crowds. He was busy.
And yet, Jesus also appears laser-focused on what he is doing in the present moment. He tells the Pharisees who are warning him about Herod’s intentions that it doesn’t matter what Herod plans. Today and tomorrow (meaning the present and the near future), Jesus will be focused on casting out demons and healing people. He isn’t looking to the left or to the right, considering how His actions are impressing or threatening others. He isn’t pausing to bask in the honor many are giving him. He has no plans to shy away from threats, concerns, or questions from societal authorities. He knows what he is about and the work that is necessary to accomplish.
Do we know what we are about? When I look at my schedule, does it identify me as a follower of Christ? Am I laser-focused on the things of Heaven, on the mission God has for my life? Or, am I floundering through the whims and demands of a more short-sighted schedule?
It is interesting. In being intensely focused on the present moment, Jesus is able to have a heavenly perspective. He knows where the mission has called Him, He says as much when He explains that on the third day He will accomplish His purpose. But this doesn’t distract Him from the necessary work of the day He is living in.
We can live our lives in a similar manner. We can make plans and schedules but it is critical to remember that they serve us and our God-given mission, not the other way around. Everything Jesus did drew him closer to the day His mission was fulfilled on the cross. Everything we choose to do, or not do, should be considered in the same manner. As we plan our week we can ask ourselves, how is this going to bring me closer to God and closer to heaven?
Daily Reading
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Malachi 3:19-20a Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will…
Saint of the Day
St. Joseph Moscati
St. Joseph Moscati
Feast date: Nov 16
On November 16, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph Moscati, the first modern medical doctor to be canonized. Born on July 25, 1880 in Benevento, Italy, he lived out the Gospel through his position as a teacher and physician. There are a number of stories of Dr. Moscati paying close attention to the state of his patient’s soul as well as the body, sometimes even bringing the patient back to the sacraments. The Catholic understanding of body and soul clearly informed his understanding of illness and medicine. He saw Confession and Communion as the “first medicine.”He is quoted as once having said, “Remember that you have to deal not only with the bodies but also with the moaning souls coming to you.”Dr. Moscati’s holiness and devotion wasn’t just limited to his practice. To help the poor, he often donated his medical services or paid for his patients’ prescriptions. St. Joseph Moscati also felt it was important to support priests and those in religious life with his prayers because, as he said: “They are easily forgotten by the living, since Christians often think that they do not need prayers.”He carried a Rosary in his pocket as a reminder throughout his day and as a way to draw him to Our Lady — and through her, to Jesus — when he needed to make important decisions.St. Joseph Moscati died on April 12, 1927 of natural causes in his office between patient appointments. He was beatified on November 16, 1975 by Pope Paul VI and canonized on October 25, 1987 by Pope John Paul II. His body rests in Naples, Italy, in the Church of Gesu Nuovo.