In the Gospel of Mark for this Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jesus enters the house of “Simon and Andrew with two other apostles and found Simon’s mother-in-law sick with a fever. He approached her, grasped her hand, and helped her up. We are told that then “the fever left her and she waited on them.” After sunset, they brought more people to Jesus who were either possessed by demons or were ill, He cured many and drove the demons out. And each day, after His work of preaching and healing, Jesus refreshed Himself in prayer.

In this gospel today we hear of a balance in our Christian life, work—or action—the activity of a Christian life, healing the sick or feeding the hungry or simply being present or with someone in need. We also hear in this gospel that after of the “work of the Lord,” Jesus went off to pray and to be with God in prayer—dialogue—so that Jesus was united with and refreshed by the God of all creation.

I read a homily once that noted that this gospel leads us to consider the two central parts of a Christian life: the active and the contemplative. It said, “Christian life requires sufficient attention to these two aspects in order to live a balanced life. Jesus went to Simon’s house and healed the mother-in-law. He also performed other healing miracles (the active part). However, he understood that there was need for him to withdraw and pray in private (contemplative). Not even the information that “everyone was looking for him” could draw him away from the decision that came after this contemplative period. It was time to go to another place, this is what he came to do.

So whose counsel do we seek—and act upon—in our living out our Christian life? Do we turn to God in prayer, bringing Him our joys (gratitude) and when we are troubled (the problems of everyday life) or when we are angry (in frustration or doubt) and ask Him for guidance? Do we seek His Wisdom in our lives in difficult decisions or when fear grasps us and so might paralyze us in acting?

Prayer is meant to be a conversation or dialogue with the Holy One, God Himself. We bring all that we have in life—the good, the bad and the ugly—we bring to God our gratitude for the blessings He bestows upon us in life, we bring to Him our troubles as we seek strength and hope for the future, and we bring our anger—yes our righteous anger—when we are confused in life or frustrated and in need of patience; prayer or conversation with God also enables us to be reinforced with faith, to be strengthened in our endeavor of living out the Christian life. In prayer, we might not “hear” the voice of God booming in our presence but God shall direct us, by stirring our hearts and leading us in the right or righteous direction.

Indeed, the Christian life is one of active living, meaning that we are called by God to care for one another. It is about recognizing the Face of God in all peoples. That with eyes of faith we are able to see in the prisoner and the homeless, Christ’s face; that we see in the immigrant—legal or illegal—a human person with dignity; that we recognize in the person of color or of poverty or of any other adjective the God-given rights of a human person; and, we are called also to recognize human life, whether old and frail and near its end or whether it is beginning with heartbeat in the mother’s womb, that God present there too, that we see in the beauty of any age or form sacredness.

How do we get to the point of seeing the hungry and homeless and desiring to open our hearts to feed and care for them? How do we get to the point of seeing the human person in need, different from ourselves and welcoming them, or come to understand convenience cannot be the answer to whether human life is allowed to live? It is in prayer, contemplative prayer and listening to God, that God will speak to us and calm our fears, provide us with hope, and lead us to what is holy and righteous.

The Christian life is one of active participation and quiet prayer. Like Jesus in today’s gospel, acting upon human need with love, and turning to the God the Father in love—prayer.

We’ve always known balance is key. Let us pray and practice it. Amen!