In today's Gospel, Mark 3: 1-6, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. It is the Sabbath. Jesus knows the law. He also knows the Pharisee's adherence to the letter of the law. He says to them: "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" The Pharisees stand there stone silent! Grieved by their hardness of heart, Jesus calls the man to the front of the synagogue and says to him: "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and Jesus healed him. "The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against [Jesus] to put him to death." Except for their hatred of Jesus, the Herodians and the Pharisees are political enemies. Their shared resentment is so strong that it fueled their working together to kill Jesus (See Word among Us, Jan. 2017, p. 38 of the Meditations).
Joining persons filled with hatred and resentment toward anyone fuels our own resentments and hatred. Before we know it, we could be embroiled in a situation that easily could erupt into gunfire and death! Our anger escalates when we surround ourselves with others who are also angry. Furthermore, the passion of anger blinds us. We no longer are able to think clearly nor are we, then, in fact, free to act according to our own spiritual values or hear Jesus redirecting us away from evil.
I may seek out persons in person or on the internet or on Facebook who are venting their fury toward someone. Either way, I put myself in a situation that can lead me more and more deeply into my own anger.
When I am doing that, I am not, in fact, seeking counsel from Jesus. Jesus alone is my Savior. Jesus alone can lead me to do what is right and just. It is far better to be praying for my "enemies", or for those with whom I disagree in principle than to be embroiling myself in protest. And, who knows, it may be me who has the most to improve to be like Christ than the person with whom I am at odds!
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