Home: An Expansion Project

_{7th Sunday in O.T. Cycle B 2012}

_{Where is home for you?  The other day one student said to another that she was going home.  This was followed by some confusion because ‘home’ in the other students perception was several hours away and not a practical venture in the middle of the week.  One student was referring to the place she lived, the other the place where she came from, where her family was.}

_{In today’s Gospel, St. Mark tells us that “Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, [and] it became known that he was at home” (Mark 2:1).  I’ve never really thought of Jesus as having a home.  Sure we know of Nazareth and Bethlehem, but don’t you get the impression that Jesus is on the road a lot?  It almost sounds like Jesus’ return to Capernaum is a chance for him to have the equivalent of a semester break and he decided to return home.}

_{Home is a very important thing for us as relational human beings.  There is something special about home and that can be for a number of good and bad reasons.  Home certainly is a perception before it is a physical place.  I think conventionally speaking, good feelings abound at home.  That is why we can find it whether we are at school, on vacation, doing a service trip, or visiting family.}

_{Home at its best is a sacred space.  We want to be protective of it and share it with caution.  When we consider our relationship with Jesus, we need to see how he opened his home to everyone.  They even made an opening in his roof to lower a paralytic man to Jesus.  And when considering the body as the home of the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave his life to heal our sins.} 

_{God’s asking us to expand our notion of home this weekend.  Who do we extend our hospitality to and why do we choose them?  When we recognize someone who is homeless, figuratively or literally, what is our response to them?  May the Holy Spirit, who dwells in the home of our hearts grant us courage as our perceived notion of home is expanded.  Blessed be God forever.}

_{Isaiah 43:18-19,21-22; 24-25 Psalm 41; 2 Cor 1:18-22; Mark 2:1-12}