HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B)

Feb 8, 2015

2760

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Job (7:1-4, 6-7)

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on Earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?" then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6)

(R) Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

Praise the Lord, for He is good; sing praise to our God, for He is gracious; it is fitting to praise Him. The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; the dispersed of Israel He gathers. (R)

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He tells the number of the stars; he calls each by name. (R)

Great is our Lord and mighty in power; to His wisdom there is no limited. The Lord sustains the lowly; the wicked He casts to the ground. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the first Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians (9:16-19, 22-23)

Brothers and sisters: If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the Gospel according to Mark (1:29-39)

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.

When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.

Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

There is an interesting story. One day an elephant was hit by a truck while crossing a busy highway and blood was oozing out. In a couple of minutes the elephant lost a lot of blood. The news that the elephant was in a serious condition spread all the way to the jungle. A small bug heard the news and hurried to the spot. Meanwhile a vet had arrived to treat the elephant. Seeing the little bug moving around and about the elephant, he asked the bug, "What are you doing here? You are disturbing me in my work." The bug replied, "Oh, Doctor! The elephant is my friend and, I am here to donate some blood."

Even though the bug may not be able to donate blood and save the elephant, the bug was there because it felt the pain of the elephant and wanted to show solidarity with the elephant. Suffering unites us all. Each of us experience pain and suffering of some kind sometime in life. Therefore, we can compassionately connect with others through this common bond whether we are young or old, strong or weak, big or small, rich or poor. Moreover, our Lord Jesus has chosen to identify himself with us through suffering. When we suffer, Jesus suffers with us.

In today's first reading we read a part of the story of a man named Job who suffered greatly. As a matter of fact, the Book of Job is a mixture of prose and poetry which explores the perennial problem of human suffering and God's power and justice. Job was a humble, devout and righteous man. He feared God and shunned all evil. He had great wealth, a large family, and many servants. But the good times soon came to an end. The story says that one day God and Satan were discussing the loyalty of Job. Satan alleged that the only motivation for Job's loyalty was because he had been blessed with material abundance. So, God permitted Satan to test Job. Very soon Job lost just about everything he owned - cattle, servants and all his possessions. They were either stolen or destroyed. He also lost all his children - seven sons and three daughters.

According to the story while they were eating together a mighty wind caused the house to collapse on top of them, killing them all. And yet, Job remained faithful to God. He accepted the events saying, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord", Job (1:20). But Satan wanted him to be tested more. Job was afflicted with painful bodily sores and boils from head to foot. He became gravely ill and disfigured. He was in such bad shape that he wanted to die. Those who knew him began to ridicule his fidelity to God. Even his wife became restless and impatient. She questioned Job's integrity and told him to curse God so he could die. But Job replied, "Should we accept good from God, and not trouble?", Job (2:10). His friends said to him that his suffering was perhaps a kind of punishment for his sins and he should therefore repent. And Job kept insisting that he was innocent and blameless. However, Job could contain himself no longer. In a moment of pain and despair, outrage burst from him. He complained to God, protested to God, and even raged at God.

Today's reading is a part of his lamentation. He cries out, "Is not man's life on Earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages." Job sees himself as a laborer or a slave or a person who does menial work whose life can be wretched and miserable. He laments the days full of work and sleepless nights. At night he longs for the morning and when the morning comes he longs to die. Seeing no future for him he says, "I shall not see happiness again." Later in the story we learn that Job realizes his ignorance of the goodness of the Lord. He sees his suffering as God's way of bringing into fulfilment His purpose. Eventually he surrenders to God's infinite wisdom and will. He accepts the suffering as he had previously accepted God's abundant blessings. Trusting in God's goodness and mercy he declares, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the Earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!", Job (19:25-27). Pleased with his loyalty, God reverses his misfortunes and transforms his pain and affliction into joy, healing and abundant blessings.

In this reading, there is a lesson for each and every one of us. Despite our devotion, beliefs, religious observances, obedience and faithfulness to the Lord all of us could be afflicted with pain and suffering at some point in life. These are the times perhaps we too feel and lament like Job even though I guess we may not be experiencing what he had experienced - the loss of health, wealth, family and friends altogether. We may veer toward the ditch of doubt and despair. We may feel like things could never get better. We may feel like God has abandoned us. We may even be tempted to curse God or ridicule people who preach in the name of God. How can preachers of the Word of God alleviate our pain and suffering? They are just like little bugs bringing a little hope and comfort to the suffering through God's Word.

The thing is that most often when we suffer we are inclined to think and, other people also influence us to think, worldly rather than spiritually. The life of Job teaches us that no matter what happens in life, we should always think spiritually in order to understand the grace of God at work in our lives. That's to say, in good and bad times we must surrender to the Lord. Even amidst despair we must walk by faith and continue to worship, praise and thank God. We must believe that God works in our lives, even through troubles, so that all things work toward our good. We can trust that even in the lowest moments of our lives, God is working toward our good.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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