A recurring theme in St. Mark’s Gospel is that in his early days of teaching, Jesus was continuously surrounded by crowds, whose needs varied, but whose intent was the same. Result: He began his public life giving himself to others, and continued to do so right up to his death on Calvary.
There is a lesson here. If I am truly his follower, I will imitate him in every way compatible with the vocation I have been given. So, the question is: Do I respond to the needs of others, both seen and unseen, in a Jesus-like way? How easy it is to fool myself by piously putting aside the question and congratulating myself for being a good Catholic.
The family of Jesus did not understand him. How different he was from what he had been for thirty years living in Nazareth. We can understand their confusion, sympathize with them, especially today, the feast of St. Agnes. What must have been the thoughts of her family when she, a girl between twelve and fifteen years old, was called to suffer and die for Christ? Today we can appreciate what a blessed vocation she was given.
Resolve: Today, the feast of St. Agnes, I shall pray in union with her, for young girls in our post-Christian society, that the Lord give them the graces he so generously gave to her.