HOMILY OF 30TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY OF 30TH MONDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: “WOMAN YOU ARE SET FREE OF YOUR INFIRMITY„
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the sabbath. And a woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant that Jesus had cured on the sabbath, said to the crowd in reply, “There are six days when work should be done. Come on those days to be cured, not on the sabbath day.” The Lord said to him in reply, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his ass from the manger and lead it out for watering? This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now, ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.
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The mission of Jesus is to bring salvation to all people. He has come to save the total man – both body and soul. A body without a soul is not a human being – it is a corpse. A soul without a body is not a human being either – it is a ghost. A human being is both body and soul. That is why Jesus makes sure that the physical healing of a person should lead to his spiritual healing. So, we often hear Jesus giving the instruction after the healing: “Go, and sin no more!”
Jesus is fully aware that every physical ailment of man has a corresponding reflection in the spiritual level. For instance, physical deafness can be symbolic of our spiritual deafness – when we refuse to listen to the instructions of God. Blindness can also be spiritual when we choose not to see the truth or fail to understand the Word of God. Leprosy in the spiritual sense is being afflicted by grave sins that may lead others to sin. After all, sin is more contagious than any deadly virus on earth. Evil possession can also be by way of an addiction, obsession or compulsion that is beyond our control.
In the Gospel today, a woman is physically crippled by an evil spirit for eighteen years. So, “she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.” She could not straighten herself up and look ahead. She could not enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, nor the clear blue skies. And she could not even look at the faces of other people but only their feet. All she could see is the ground beneath her feet.
This happens to us as well. Our sins weigh us down like a heavy burden, bending our souls and breaking our spirits. Thus, we only manage to look down on the ground and our feet, and fail to appreciate the beauty and dignity of others. And we find it almost impossible to look up to heaven. Some people even lose the desire to rise again from their sinfulness and just totally give up hope for a new life. Their lives are full of negativity and contempt towards anything good, true and beautiful.
This is the case with the synagogue leader whom our Lord called hypocrite along with the rest of the scribes and Pharisees. He is indignant that Jesus did the healing on a sabbath. All he could see was the letter of the law. He refuses to be amazed by the healing power of Jesus. He is impervious to the deep compassion He shows to this long-suffering woman. He could not bring himself to rejoice with her for the health, freedom and dignity she regained.
Truly this man is suffused with sin – especially his pride, selfishness and hypocrisy – that he could not anymore see the goodness and beauty of others, nor could he appreciate the power and compassion of God displayed right before his eyes.
What happened to this synagogue leader could also happen to anybody who is long immersed in sin. Indeed, unrepented sin can effectively blind us to goodness, harden our hearts, dull our conscience and make us insensitive to the movements of the Spirit. It is truly unfortunate for anybody to remain in sin for so long.
Needless to say, here lies the great importance and indispensability of the sacrament of Penance or Confession. St. Isidore of Seville tells us of the great value of this sacrament. He said, “Confession heals, confession grants pardon of sins. All hopes consist in confession. In confession, there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly. Do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God. Hope and have confidence in confession.”
The woman in the Gospel today has been weighed down by this physical ailment which has made her life terribly miserable for eighteen years. But a simple touch from Jesus healed her, restoring her freedom, peace and joy. Such experience is wonderfully exhilarating! This happens also in Confession. The simple gesture and words of absolution from the priest are enough to take away all our sins. Indeed, what a joy to be forgiven!
Let us praise and thank God for this wonderful gift of the sacrament of Confession. May we not be away from this sacrament for too long. In fact, all the saints have encouraged regular and frequent Confession. St. Padre Pio reminds us, “Confession is the soul’s bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust. Return a week and you will see that it needs dusting again!”
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