A Reflection on Mark 3:7-12
Today's Gospel shows us Jesus
withdrawing to the sea, yet the crowds press in on Him from every direction.
People travel from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and
even from Tyre and Sidon, a breathtaking geography that reveals something
profound. Jesus doesn't just attract the religiously observant or the
culturally similar. He draws everyone: Jews and Gentiles, the ritually pure and
the outcast, those who follow the Law and those who've never heard it. What
magnetizes them isn't His teaching in this moment, but His healing touch. The
sick push forward desperately, and even the unclean spirits, those forces of
darkness that recognize divine authority, fall down and proclaim the truth:
"You are the Son of God." Yet Jesus orders them to silence. He will
reveal His identity in His own time, in His own way, through the ultimate act
of love on the Cross.
On this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, we see a
striking parallel. Just as Jesus attracted those whom society often overlooked,
the sick, the possessed, the desperate from distant lands, so too does the
Church stand as a voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. The unborn
child, hidden in the sanctuary of the womb, is as vulnerable as those who
pressed through the crowd hoping merely to touch Jesus' garment. Both require
someone to advocate for them, to recognize their infinite dignity, to protect
them from forces that would harm or ignore them. Jesus didn't wait for people
to prove their worthiness before healing them; He responded to their very
existence, their very need. The Gospel of Life calls us to do the same, to
recognize that every human person, from conception to natural death, bears the
image of God and deserves our protection and love.
The Rosary becomes our weapon and our comfort in this mission. When we pray the
Joyful Mysteries, we contemplate the Visitation, where Mary carries Jesus in
her womb to Elizabeth, who carries John in hers. Two unborn children, two
mothers, and the Holy Spirit revealing that life in the womb is sacred,
purposeful, and already participating in God's plan of salvation. John leapt
for joy at the presence of Jesus, both still months from birth. When we pray
the Sorrowful Mysteries, we unite our heartbreak over the violence done to the
innocent with Jesus' own suffering for love of humanity. When we pray the
Glorious Mysteries, we affirm that life is stronger than death, that love
conquers all, and that God's kingdom will ultimately prevail. The repetitive
prayers of the Rosary, like the persistent faith of those who pushed through
the crowds to reach Jesus, teach us that advocacy for the vulnerable requires
patient, constant, faithful effort, not just one dramatic gesture, but a
lifetime of small, repeated acts of love.
Jesus in today's Gospel doesn't give a thundering sermon or perform spectacular
public miracles to prove His power. Instead, He simply responds to human need
with divine compassion. He heals because they hurt. He touches because they
reach out. He sees because they come to Him. Our task as Catholics is similarly
straightforward: to respond to the existence and dignity of unborn children
with the same compassion Jesus showed to the crowds. We pray, we speak, we
advocate, we support mothers in crisis, we vote according to our conscience, we
volunteer, and we love, not because we have all the answers to complex
situations, but because we have encountered Jesus, the Author of Life. We cannot help but imitate His tender care for the vulnerable. Like Mary, who
pondered all these things in her heart, we hold both the joy of life and the
sorrow of its violation together, trusting that God's grace is sufficient and
His love endures forever.
Questions to Consider:
- When have I experienced Jesus' healing presence in
my own hidden wounds or struggles, and how might that experience move me
to protect and advocate for others who are vulnerable?
- How can I make the Rosary not just a private
devotion but a genuine participation in the defense of human life,
allowing each mystery to deepen my commitment to the Gospel of Life?
- What does it mean that even demons recognized
Jesus' true identity while religious authorities rejected Him, and how
might this challenge me to examine where I truly recognize Jesus's
presence in the least and most vulnerable among us?
- In what practical ways this week can I respond to
the existence of unborn children with the same immediacy and compassion
Jesus showed to those who pressed toward Him in today's Gospel?
©2026 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
