Daily Prayer: a resource of Forward Movement

The Forward Day by Day Meditation for July 14, 2015

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TUESDAY, July 14

Mark 2:1 He was at home.

In this story from Mark, we have one of a handful of moments when we see Jesus being like the rest of us, just home from a business trip. I imagine him with his feet up, sitting on his porch and enjoying a little quiet before the next trip.

Instead of his iPhone pinging like crazy, or his email inbox filling up, or being woken up with an “emergency” work call, his work comes to his house and takes the roof off to get to him. A sick man is lowered down on a litter, through the ceiling tiles, and I can just imagine Jesus’ friends and family looking at him blankly: Well, how’s this going to shake out? Are we having all these people to stay for dinner? Are you going to fix this guy, and get us back to our regularly scheduled evening program? What in the world is going on here?

With a few words, Jesus puts everything into perspective. He reminds us that a broken spirit is more harmful than a broken body. And then he shows us that his love and mercy are able to heal both. That’s not a bad way to spend a day off.

PRAY for the Dioceses of Peterborough & Peterborough-Brixworth (Canterbury, England)

Ps 26, 28 * 36, 39;1 Samuel 19:1-18; Acts 12:1-17; Mark 2:1-12