Aneel Aranha's video: January 12 2021 - Hall Of Fame - A Reflection on Mark 1:21-28

Do we earnestly seek to be a part of Jesus’ family or do we have conditions attached? Let us examine our true intentions. https://youtu.be/joZVyE6TExY Scripture Reading: Mark 1:21-28 They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee. – The Gospel of the Lord. Reflection: The term ‘famous’ usually denotes people (or objects or places) that are prominent, popular, and powerful. Famous personalities constantly adorn pages of glossy magazines, flash fancy gadgets, rule social media, dictate fashion trends & health fads, and endorse expensive brands. They ensure their visibility at all the ‘right’ places and have a point of view to share on everything under the sun, basically leaving no stone unturned to always keep themselves in the limelight. Else, with all the competition around, they just might slide into obscurity and lose out on that much sought for space in the hall of fame that provides them their identity. If we look at today’s first reading and gospel passage, we have Jesus, the Holy One of God, who stepped down from Heaven and for a little while was made lower than the angels to fulfill the will of his Father. Being God himself, he spoke with authority and nobody could question his teachings. However, he never sought attention for himself but gave all credit to his Father (see John 5:19). He regularly went off by himself to lonely places to pray and spent time away from the crowds (see Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16). Despite being King of Kings and Lord of Lords, not once did he choose to rule over others or to be served, but came only to serve (See Mark 10:45). And when evil spirits shouted out loudly declaring who he actually was, he always silenced them, like he did today. He deserved every kind of adulation and more, but he consciously steered clear of it. Jesus knew that his ‘Light’ would dawn upon different people at different times, because discovering who Jesus truly is, is a personal experience for every individual. Hence, it was essential to keep his true identity under wraps to ensure no confusion or compulsion, no diversion of focus, and no dilution of his Father’s timing and purpose. In His time, when he fulfilled his mission, the truth would finally be revealed to one and all. (See Ecclesiastes 3:1) He also gave us lessons in humility and taught us what it means to be truly famous. Through his life and teachings, he always encouraged us to acquire the infinite power of the Holy Spirit that would shine within and through us instead of the fleeting outward fame and name. Eventually, at the end of his divine mission, he triumphantly ascended back to be crowned with glory and honor in Heaven which is the everlasting hall of fame. So then, let’s strive to get famous, Jesus style.