HOMILY OF MONDAY OF THE 7TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10, Gospel Mark 9:14-29
“…….A man answered him from the crowd, ‘Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid………… Bring him to me.” They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth.”
THEME: DEVELOPING THE PASSION TO HELP OTHERS
QUOTES: “As we draw closer to God, we should develop the passion to meet people’s needs.”
When we seek to behold the face of God but not ready to look at the face of man, we will never live a fulfilled life. Man is made in God’s image. Our relevance comes from how best we can read what is written in the face of our neighbours. There is always an invitation for help on people’s faces. There, we can see the cry of a suffering humanity and vulnerability of day-to-day human existence.
Coming down from the beautiful mountain experience, Jesus and the three disciples were faced with the cry of a man who whose son was possessed by a deaf and dumb spirit. Peter had stayed long on the mountain, forgetting the needs of the generation that beckons at the foot of the mountain. But it was necessary to come down in order to bring the history of human salvation to fruition.
There is no point boasting of a high spiritual frequency that does not pay attention to the minute need in the street. Christianity is about a person, the person of Jesus Christ who though God, became man to live among us. Therefore, Christianity that cannot be translated into action does not worth the name. We ought not to allow our pains and preoccupations to prevent us from reaching out to those who need our help. At times, we give diverse reasons why we cannot help someone, forgetting we are not meant for ourselves alone. When we are narcissistic, we can never make meaningful impact in society, we would only be intent on satisfying our own individual desires.
Moreover, with the thought of his coming death on the cross, Jesus was still ever ready to meet human needs. He came to die for humanity, not just as a group but also as individuals. He singled out the man whose son was possessed by evil spirits and responded appropriately to his needs. The Lord Jesus bracketed his experience on the mountain and bent down to continue the work of his Father.
Beloved in Christ, as we draw closer to God, we should develop the passion of meeting people’s needs. Let us give our heart to others in love. May our lives become the Bible that people can read. May we never be tired of showing mercy. Amen.
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