Name It, Claim It, Feel It, Fix It!

Heb 7:1-3,15-17 / Mk 3:1-6

Jesus came to us as a brother to reconcile us to one another and to our Father. Given the realities of our human condition and the abundance of our sins and mistakes, piling one on top of the other day by day, his coming should be cause for rejoicing for every last one of us. One would think so, but it is not so, nor has it ever been. Even in Jesus' day, large numbers of his listeners resisted his message and never did find reconciliation.

The reason for this is plainly visible in today's gospel and it was a source of both pain and frustration for Jesus. There is nothing more inaccessible than a closed mind, and that is what Jesus found when he faced the Pharisees. The price of reconciliation and healing is always the same, no matter what the circumstance: Name your sin, claim it as your own, experience its ugly reality in your own heart, and then open your heart to the Lord's healing and to his help in mending the hurts you have inflicted.

Name it, claim it, feel it, fix it. The Lord wants to help us at each of those four stages, but he cannot do so if our minds or hearts are closed, if we do not or will not take ownership for our sins.

Fear closes minds, but faith can open them. Trust in the Lord's powerful desire to heal you, cast aside all fear, and open the door to him. You'll never regret it!