Reflection first Week in
Ordinary Time- Wednesday- Fr. Michael U. Udoekpo
Readings: Heb 2:14-18; Ps 105:1-9 and Mark 1:29-39
Jesus is in Solidarity with
Us
Ordinary when we are in
solidarity with someone or a group we share in the person’s or that group’s
principles, ideals and cause. We defend the person, or group. We mourn with them. We rejoice with them. We
fight their cause.
Both Christ and we humans
share a common origin from God. Christ is fully human except sin, and fully
divine. Because of his humanity Christ can call each of us his “brothers” and
“sisters.” And by sharing in our
humanity Christ is able to tackle and defeat the devil that frightens and
enslaves us with the fear of death.
For the author of the
Letter to the Hebrew Jesus has power over everything, including death and the
devil of fear. Christ is the source of life, death and the resurrection. He
demonstrated this by overcoming temptations in the desert, throughout the
course of his ministry and on the sacrifice of his saving cross, as priest and
victim!
Those he saved on this
cross were each of us, descendant of Abraham because as Psalm 105 would put it
today, “the Lord remembers his covenant forever.” The covenant he promised David (2 Sam 7). This covenant of love and
solidarity binds for thousands of generations.
Those Christ preached to
and healed in today’s (Mark 1:29-39), including Simon’s mother in – law were
descendants of Abrahams. With this
Christ fulfills those promises promised us by God the Father.
What are your fears? Your exams,
studies, jobs, health, bad economy,
food, shelter, clothing, promotion, wife, husbands, good friend,
ordinations or the uncertainty of my future and other temptations? Remember,
Christ himself was tested! He knows how to defend us. He is in constant
solidarity with us! And we in turn are call to be in solidarity with one another, the poor, the sick, the needy and
to be sources of encouragement to our neighbors.
