Ordinary Time 
Pause
Here we are. It's February, and Christmas is not far behind. In one of my favorite songs of that season, we sing, "Do you hear what I hear? A song, a song, high above the trees, with a voice as big as the sea. With a voice as big as the sea.”
Have you ever thought of the sea having a voice?
Do you think of songs you cannot actually hear, but which speak to you?
Are we missing some of the music that might actually sing in our hearts, if we were open to the song?
Let us tune our ears and hearts to the Holy in this moment.
Listen
After leaving the synagogue, Jesus, James, and John went home with Simon and Andrew. Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed, sick with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He went to her, took her by the hand, and raised her up. The fever left her, and she served them.
Mark 1:29-31
Think
This is good news and bad news. The good news is of the healing ministry of Christ. This is one of many healing stories in the Bible, which have fed generations of believers and uplifted those who draw strength and hope from them.
The bad news is that some people are turned away from faith by these very same stories. Healing stories raise some questions: Is there a “fix-it” God in heaven, who will make all things right if we but ask? And if so, why do some people remain unhealed? These stories can be more troublesome than uplifting to some people among us.
But, this is what our faith asks us to do: to live in the tension between the ministry of Jesus and the world as we know it, which often just don’t line up. Questions and doubts are a normal part of the life of faith.
What about you? What do you hear in this story? Is it more of a promise or a puzzle to you? Shall we talk?
Barbara Gray
Pray
Lord, I have faith. Help my lack of faith. Thank you that even when my questions feel bigger than my belief, you are still with me. Amen.
Go
Perhaps, with God’s help, we may choose which voices are stronger in our world. Haven’t you heard? Haven’t you heard the good news of God?
Listen to the trees, the geese flying overhead, the quiet sun slipping behind the hill. So much music in the quietest places in our world.
Go. Open your heart to the music of that silence. Let in the music that many never hear. Choose to listen only for the voices that feed your soul.
And you will be new music to others; and you will hear others in new ways. It’s the good news we all are waiting to hear.
