Tuesday of Week 14 Year 1

In ministry, we cannot please everybody. No matter how hard we try, we are bound to encounter people who appreciate what we do, some will be jealous or unhappy with us no matter what we do, and others could not care less or are not bothered with what we do, possibly because they are more interested in themselves or in matters which interest or benefit them. In different situations, those who like us may become annoyed with us and those who were annoyed with us may like us. Such is the kind of people we encounter and minister to.

That is why, if we look in the Gospel, we can see how the people and the Pharisees had some sort of love-hate relationship with Jesus. In the Gospel, we read: "A man was brought to Jesus, a dumb demoniac. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb man spoke and the people were amazed. 'Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel' they said. But the Pharisees said, 'It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.'" The people loved Jesus for what He said, the healing He did and the casting out of devils he did. The Pharisees were constantly at loggerheads with Jesus, as they were jealous with His increasing popularity and the words He said hit them hard and pricked their conscience, but they refused to change and risk losing their status and position.

What about us? Are we still trying to please everybody and water down the faith to accommodate certain people, or are we willing to be bold and not be affected with what others think of us? Jesus was not the least bit concerned about His popularity or position, since He was more interested in loving and serving the people, as the Gospel tells us: "Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness." May we follow the example of our loving saviour, and be happy, determined and loving bearers of the Good News to all the ends of the earth.