Jesus Christ is the central point of our Marken Gospel. So is an uncomfortable message. So is rejection. As w ell is the notion that even the “bad” character in a gospel can teach us something.

From two Sundays of Vocation stories to the object of the gospel being the subject of Christ Himself, God promises to send someone else to fill the role of Moses. Enter Jesus Christ, the New Testaments new Moses.

Why did Jesus attract people to the Word of God? Mark presents Jesus as “in action,” that is He spoke and taught with “authority.” He had great power to heal and raise people from the dead, and He drove out uncleaned spirits. He was approachable. He was so “real,” that His apostles left behind their day jobs and followed Him; in fact, they even “abandoned” their family members to enter into this new missionary ministry. Yet, as things moved along, people began to be offended by His teachings and some walked away. We come to realize as our faith deepens that not everyone will willingly choose the Lord.

In our faith journey and in our roles within the Church and the parish community, we too have to understand that sometimes the message of Jesus, His Truths with a capital T, will be hard to accept, even inconvenient at times; and rejection by some will define the mission of Christ and His Church. Moreover, we will meet characters in the gospels who are very human—they may not follow the Lord or may really question His Teachings. As this gospel unfolds over time, we might see ourselves in some of the “bad” characters. However, remember, Jesus will draw a straight line with a crooked pencil, and we can all learn something from those we consider “bad.”

While this weekend’s readings may not be an easy story or two about Vocation calls, it is about how we choose to listen and hear the Word of God—and about the focus of our learning—Christ. How we are challenged by His teachings, and what we are willing to adhere to and follow. Keeping in mind that a challenge is not a bad thing, nor is doubt—as long as doubt is not used as a crutch to hobble away on but rather is a springboard into deeper searching…and deeper faith.

Just a reminder that we learn more by studying the Word of God. In addition, in the Archdiocese of Hartford we are blessed to have the only accredited Catholic Bible School in the country. So for more information, and to better come to know God, Christ and the Holy Spirit vis-à-vis your faith journey, contact the New England Catholic Biblical School at catholicedaohct.org