Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“ … his heart was moved with pity for them” Mk. 6:34
The word translated as “pity” or “compassion” in the scriptural quote above is a very weak rendering of the original Greek in which the gospel of Mark was written. The Greek word literally means “churning of the gut.”
The original Greek far more clearly reflects how deeply Jesus feels about us all, and how profoundly he resonates with our cherished needs – even on the most physical level.
We’ve all experienced that “churning of the gut” in our lives from time to time. Usually they involve situations when we are so overcome with sadness or horror that we can barely maintain our composure: the death of someone close to us leaving us abandoned; the sight of something so unbearably painful that we have to look away; news of a tragedy so horrific we are visibly shaken.
We can all relate to this feeling.
What we don’t relate to so easily is the reality of Jesus having the same feelings.
This is the healer, the miracle worker, the teacher, the One who will rise from the dead, the Son of God. How could he possibly comprehend what being human is really all about?
In our minds, we still see him as above and beyond these kinds of earthly feelings. We still imagine him dropping out of the sky and essentially pretending to be one of us, but not really struggling with the actual pain of everyday human life, especially the pain of the most impoverished and the most nakedly needy.
And yet Mark makes it as clear as he can that Jesus not only “gets it,” but walks through the door of our hearts and cries with us, hurts with us, prays with us, listens to us, and allows his gut to “churn” with compassion over us.
Whoever heard of a God like this? Whoever pictured a God so intimate, so personal, so caring?
But that’s precisely the point of it all.
Jesus presents a whole new understanding of God: the “with us” God; the “for us” God; the “dwelling among us” God. The God that feels and heals. The God that enters into the most secret places in our hearts and tells us that we are beloved beyond belief. Or, as one writer puts it, the God “whose sleeves are rolled up, fighting on behalf of the oppressed.”
The God that dines with us – as he does right now.
Look at the common, ordinary, everyday needs Jesus speaks of in today’s gospel reading.
First, he asks his disciples to report on how things are going for them. What have they seen? What have they heard? What have they experienced?
This tells us is that the God of Jesus wants to hear from us. He wants to know what’s going on in our lives. He wants a deep pattern of communication to exist between us and him. Because that’s what friends do.
Second, from time to time, whenever we can, God wants us to “come away” from it all. He wants us to retreat from the busyness and demands of our daily lives and develop an affection for solitude. He wants us to accompany him to the “deserted place” within us away from all the distractions so that we can spend some time daily in prayer.
Third, God wants us to rest. God understands the challenging stresses and hassles of our lives. But the need for adequate rest is important also. Rested, we can be all the more open to perceive and learn “many things.”
Notice: it’s all about us and for us.
That’s who our God is!
A God whose “heart was moved with pity.”
Ted Wolgamot, Psy.D.
