CATHOLIC HOMILY OF FRIDAY 12TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
CATHOLIC HOMILY OF FRIDAY 12TH WEEK OF ORDINARY TIME – YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: BURDEN-LIFTERS
BY: Fr. Karabari Paul
2 Kings 25:1-12/Psalm 137:1-6/Matthew 8:1-4
‘Lord, if you will, you can make me clean’ (Matt. 8:2).
Everyone we meet is struggling with something. Maybe they are hurting from something that has been done to them. Maybe they are feeling lost in life, or maybe they are hiding a sin that they can’t break free from. When we remember that, it can be easier to have compassion for those who frustrate us. If someone is reacting badly, maybe by becoming angry or cold towards us, it might be because they are going through something that they haven’t shared with us. When people react like that, we can become irritated, upset, or even feel tempted to give up on them. But that is not what Jesus did. People, especially the rejected, had confidence in Jesus because He saw the best in people; He went out of His way to be gracious to them and remove their burdens.
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In the Gospel of today (Matt. 8:1-4), a leper came to Jesus and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” The knees must be submissive to the One worthy of worship. Of course, Jesus healed him. Other people would have refused to go near the man because the law at the time forced those with leprosy to live alone. They were stigmatised outcasts (take a look at Leviticus 13). The leper indirectly said to Jesus, “Others have rejected me, and if you would not act like them, I know you have the power to restore me.” But Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out and touched him, and instantly, the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.
You have to believe that God is not ashamed of you for whatever you are going through. Others may have rejected you, but He can not reject you. You must have confidence in your burden-lifter. You must have confidence in yourself, too. Self defeat is the greatest defeat, and it comes with faith-defeat. You certainly get into a bigger problem than what you are going through when you begin to place God at the same level with man; to believe that God sees you the same way you are seen by man.
We must have compassion like Jesus. You might be the only person they meet today who can ease their burden, just as Jesus was the only One willing to lift this man’s burden. The Bible says: ‘Carry each other’s burdens, and…you will fulfil the law of Christ’ (Galatians 6:2). But that shouldn’t make us feel under pressure. It doesn’t mean that we need to fix people’s situations for them. The ultimate burden-lifter is God. We can bring all our burdens to Him, and He lifts them off of our shoulders. We can carry other people’s burdens straight to the arms of our Father. So let us be encouraging, compassionate, and understanding towards others; let us be burden-lifters.
If we want to be people who help those who are hurting, we first need to open our eyes and hearts. How can we help others if we don’t notice them, or we are not moved by their suffering? It can be easy to get caught up in our own issues. Our problems sometimes seem so huge that we struggle to see God, let alone the needs of other people around us. Likewise, when we are in a fun and happy season, it can be easy to overlook the unhappiness and pain of those around us. In 1 Corinthians 12, it says, ‘If one part suffers, every part suffers with it’ (v.26). Because we are all connected in God, someone else’s suffering should stir us to help.
Jesus was moved with compassion for this man. He could see the suffering and wanted to do something about it. He touched the man despite the fact that it wasn’t an accepted thing to do. His compassion for this man was strong enough to overcome the boundaries society had created. Sometimes helping those who are hurting means we have to look past other people’s opinions of the person, we might have to associate with people that others label as ‘unclean’, and we’ll probably have to ask God for the eyes to see beyond our own lives too. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us, heal our country, Nigeria, bless and protect us all through Christ, our Lord Amen. Good morning
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