homily on Mark 3:1 – 6 :  Waiting for a Reason Not to Love (21-1-26)

 A reflective Meditation on Mark 3:1-6 that shows how fault-finding replaces mercy in daily life. (21-1-26)

Praise be to Jesus Christ 

Once, in a home, a wife prepared an omelette for breakfast. When it was served, the husband looked at it and said, today I felt like eating a boiled egg. The next morning, she prepared a boiled egg with care. When it was placed on the table, he said, today I was thinking of having an omelette. On the third day, she tried her best to avoid trouble. She prepared one omelette and one boiled egg and placed both before him. The husband became angry and said, the egg that should have been made into an omelette you boiled, and the egg that should have been boiled you made into an omelette. Nothing was wrong with the food. The problem was not the egg. The problem was a heart that waited for a reason not to love, but to find fault.

This simple story opens the door to the Gospel today. As we read, Jesus entered the synagogue, as He often did (Mark 3:1). A man was there with a withered hand. His suffering needed no explanation because it was visible to everyone. Yet Mark tells us that some were not really looking at the man. Instead, they watched Jesus closely (Mark 3:2), indeed, they were watching and waiting for a reason not to love.

Watching, by itself, is not wrong. Parents watch over their children. Shepherds watch their flock. God watches over His people (Psalm 121:4). But in this Gospel, watching took a different colour. Their eyes were sharp, but their hearts were closed. They knew the law well, yet they forgot its purpose. The wounded hand before them became less important than their desire to be right and to judge.

This struggle ran through the history of God’s people. The prophets spoke strongly against it. Isaiah cried out against worship that ignored suffering and justice (Isaiah 1:15–17). Micah reminded the people of what the Lord truly desired: to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). Jesus stood firmly in this prophetic line. He did not reject the law, but He rescued it from hardened hearts.

Jesus then asked a question that allowed no escape. Is it lawful to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill (Mark 3:4). No one answered Him. Their silence was heavy, and it revealed their choice. Waiting became a way of avoiding love. Doing nothing became a quiet form of judgment.

This Gospel touches daily life very closely, especially in family life. Small mistakes happen all the time; a mistake here, a harsh word there, a responsibility that gets forgotten. Instead of reaching out, people often stay silent and watch one another, each waiting to find fault in the other. Quietly, they gather reasons to complain, and slowly, love becomes conditional, while warmth drifts away.

Saint John Vianney teaches us a beautiful lesson. One day, a poor man entered the church, tired and unclean from work. Some people noticed him and watched closely, ready to judge. But Saint John Vianney did not wait. He walked towards the man, welcomed him warmly, and led him to a place near the altar. In that simple act, he spoke louder than words ever could: correction could wait, but mercy could not.

The Gospel finally leaves a quiet question behind. In homes, communities, and hearts, are we watching in order to love, or watching in order to find fault. 

Lord Jesus, help us to find the goodness in others. Amen

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