Out of His mind - How to understand it?

Gospel Thoughts

*Second Week : Saturday*

*GOSPEL - Mk 3:20-21*

*First Reading - Heb 9:2-3, 11-14*

*Out of His mind - How to understand it?*

*1)  Out of mind - popular understanding*

A person who does the things other than the normal way, is usually called as the who is out of his/her mind

This phrase also applies to the person who is not mentally sound.

Positively we can also apply this phrase to a person who does things out of the normal way, peculiar way, unexpected way, most creative way, unimaginable way etc 

*2) In the Context it refers to Jesus - Why?*

First of all it is directly addressed to Jesus by his own relatives 

The relatives may be those people who were coming from Nazareth, since he was native of Nazareth. 

When His native people or relatives had come in search of Him, He was out of Nazareth for so many days 

Apart from this, when those people who come from Nazareth, saw Jesus, their native person who was performing great miracles they could not believe and also could not digest 

They also came to know that Jesus is the real Messiah, which once again was a difficult truth to accept Him 

So the easiest way to degrade or to disagree with the person is to defame His name saying *He is out of His mind*

*3) Out of His mind is also used to target a person*

This phrase is also used to criticize or degrade the persons achievement. 

Specially when a person who appears to be  a rival in our way, and when He/She gets more popularity than us, this is the phrase which is commonly uses to target the person and also to take the revenge 

So when this phrase was used to target Jesus, it is clear that it was used to degrade, disagree, and to lesson His popularity, which Jesus was gaining because of His healing and effective mission

*4) Out of His mind also refers to - Out of the Way things were done*

The mission of Jesus was carried always in a way, which was not a ordinary or normal way

In other words the mission of Jesus demands the *Out of the Way/Mind* to accomplish its goal 

We need to go out of the Box, or out of the normal way or out our normal mind set, in order to accomplish the mission of the Lord. 

Taking this position and doing the mission of the Lord may appear to others exactly as *he/she is out of his/her mind* behaviour. 

*5) Out of His/Her mind is a normal way for doing the mission of the Lord*

In order to practice the values of Jesus, one must put on the nature of *out of ones mind* attitude 

Some examples would be 

Forgiving ones enemies

 

Praying for those who do evil and persecute us 

Scarifying ones life for others 

Allowing others to become great and practicing the virtue of Humility

According to the Worldly standards, a person who is sound in his/her mind can't practice these values 

For the world who practices these values are out of their minds. This is the logic of out of ones mind for the sake of Jesus

*6) Christians are called to pratice *Out of ones mind attitude in doing the mission of the Lord*

We are the followers of Jesus 

In fact Jesus practised the attitude of *out of His mind* when He forgave His enemies from the Cross, when He washed the feet of His disciples, when He touched the lepers and when He ate with the sinners 

So we are called upon to put on the attitude of *out of ones mind* attitude in order to pratice the values of the Kingdom of Heaven

*7) Am I ready to take up this challenge - out of ones mind?*

One can't become a real disciple of Jesus by following the standards of the world. 

Following Jesus way is, something which is different from normal way, which is out of the box, and which goes beyond the normal borders of the world. 

Unless we go out of this box of the standards of the world we can not become the genuine disciples of Jesus 

So the practicing the values of Jesus demands the attitude of *out of ones mind* 

So am I ready to go out of my mind in order to proclaim Christ through my life itself? 

*Think about it*

*God bless you and your family. Praying for you and your dear ones*

*Fr Maxim Dsouza*

*Jeppu Seminary*

*Mangalore*