A Friend Who Asks Why
by Fr. David M. Knight
Friday, February 9, 2024
Week V in Ordinary Time
Lectionary No. 333
1Kings 11:29 to 12:19; Psalm 81; Mark 7:31-37
"The man’s ears were opened, and his speech impediment was removed." Mark 7:35
Speaking depends on hearing. So Jesus, to restore speech, first restored hearing. He addresses causes. He “lays the ax to the root of the tree” (Matthew 3:10). His reforms are “radical.” They are “root” changes.
As friend, Jesus renews our lives from the bottom up. He looks to the core of our being, sees everything we are and can be, accepts us as we are right now, and works to free us from everything that keeps us from becoming all we can be.
Our relationships have the same dimensions as our interactions. Friends who interact superficially are superficial friends. Our friendship with Jesus is as deep as our interaction with him.
Interacting with Jesus is not always intense, but it is never inconsequential. Even when we recite devotional prayers, we speak them from the heart. And when Jesus speaks words to us—in the Scriptures, for example—we take them deeply to heart.
Jesus teaches us to think deeply, and to make deep decisions. We learn to ask why things aren’t as they should be, to look for causes. Then we hear Jesus saying, “See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
Friendship is interaction. Interact with Jesus and he will teach you to dig deep.
ACTION: Form the habit of always looking for causes—with the eyes of Christ.
PRAYER: “Lord, be with me. Let me be with you.”
Reflections brought to you by the Immersed in Christ Ministry
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