HOMILY FOR TUESDAY OF THE 4TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR I.
THEME: GOD CARES ABOUT US.
BY: Fr. Karabari Paul.
Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and seeing him, he fell at his feet, and begged him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live”
In the Gospel Reading of today (Mark 5:21-43), we see elements of tragedy. The story tells us that Jairus’ daughter was twelve years old. According to Jewish custom, a girl became a woman at twelve years and one day. This sick girl was at the threshold of womanhood. Death came to deprive her and her family of that joy and honour. But Jesus was available to restore it. The father asked Jesus to come heal his daughter, but while He was on His way, Jesus was interrupted by a woman also in trouble. The delay didn’t stop what God was meant to do. While waiting, we might think that God has forgotten about us or just doesn’t care. But that is not the truth. The circumstances we are in might not look good, but He is still good. He loves us and wants to help us. But His ways may look different from the ones we are expecting and wanting.
In the midst of all that, some people arrived with negative reports. They are all around us. They see failure, they see darkness, they see illness, and they tell us why we shouldn’t dare to do certain things in life. And when we focus on negativity, faith-level drops. So Jesus came in immediately and asked the man to maintain his faith.
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If we are close to giving up on God because of our situations, we need to ask God for the strength to keep going. The psalmist wrote: ‘The Lord is the strength of my life’. He has the strength we need to face the things we are going through. We need to hold on to the words in Isaiah 40: ‘He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak…those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength’ (Isaiah 40:29-31).
Under Jewish law, a woman in her flow wasn’t supposed to touch anyone, and definitely not a rabbi. But when you are condemned by man, God will acquit you. God is never ashamed of your situation. Obviously, the family members had given up on her. But she had the confidence that Jesus wasn’t going to give her the same judgement she had received from man. Jesus didn’t also get angry for being interrupted. Most times, we won’t allow God to interrupt our schedules.
The girl’s father was a ruler with power and authority of high social status of a mayor or bishop. But when your child is in a crisis, all the celebrity status in the world won’t help you. It’s no surprise that God has a heart for hurting parents. After all, God Himself is a father. What parental emotion has He not felt? Because of His great love for us, ‘He did not spare his own Son but gave him for us all. So with Jesus, God will surely give us all things’ (Romans 8:32).
You can do your very best for your children, and still stand where Jairus stood. You can love them, protect them, and pray for them, and still find yourself in an emergency ward at midnight . Today, there are many parents who have found themselves in the condition of Jairus. If you are one of them, take courage. Have confidence in God and create a mental environment where miracles can happen. 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. Please, stay safe. Good morninghttp://catholicforlife.com/homily-for-tuesday-of-the-4th-week-in-ordinary-time-year-i-2
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