Homily: Twenty-Fourth Sunday Year B

 

Reading 1: Who is Isaiah prophesying about? “I gave my back to those who beat me, my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting….The Lord God is my help.” From our perspective, it is Jesus in his passion which we will hear about in the Gospel.

 

Through the prophet God was preparing the people for the great mystery of his redemptive love, the suffering and death and resurrection of his own divine Son become man. But the focus of the prophet was not so much the sufferings of this servant of the Lord, but his resolve to trust in God in the midst of his sufferings. He endured this suffering even though he knew he was sinless and innocent. He would be true to his identity and mission.

 

In the midst of his sufferings on the cross, Jesus still could say, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.” “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”  When Isaiah says that this suffering servant sets his face like flint, he means that he is resolved to be fully obedient to the Father and to do his will in love.

 

How often do we find ourselves in difficulties and struggles? How often we have suffered at the hands of others though we were innocent of their attacks? Do we turn to the Lord for his help? Do we trust in the Lord, knowing in faith He is near and will uphold our right? The difference between Jesus and ourselves is that we have sinned and he was sinless. At times, we may be reaping the consequences of our sins.

 

Reading 2: This is a continuation of the last Sunday’s second reading. James is balancing the emphasis Paul wrote that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. The works of the Old Law did not save us. This is true.  It is possible that in the community to whom James is writing some interpreted Paul the way some Christians do today. They say faith alone saves us.

 

James reflects on Jesus’ teaching about the need to feed and clothe and give drink to the needy out of love. This was very important in the life of the disciple. James makes that very clear. It is faith in Jesus Christ that saves us, but that faith must be expressed and lived in love by carrying for those in need. He says faith not expressed in works or actions is dead, a matter of external show. But faith accompanied with works demonstrate one’s faith in Christ. As Jesus said: “It is not the one who says, Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of heaven but him who does the will of my Father.”

 

Gospel

There are three parts in the Gospel today. First, the confession of faith in Jesus by Peter; second, the mystery of the cross is part of this; third, the need for us both to believe in Jesus and follow in his footsteps by embracing our own crosses.

 

First, the need for the apostles to make a decision about the identity of Jesus. They have been with Jesus for a period of time and have heard his teachings and seen signs and wonders. “Who do you say I am to you at this point of our relationship?” Peter, in faith, proclaims: “You are Christ” This is part of Jesus’ true identity. He is promised Messiah and Savior of the world.

 

Second, Jesus reveals to them what it really means for him to be the Christ. This is our connection to the first reading. He is the Suffering Servant prophesied by Isaiah. Jesus reveals that he will live out his mission as the Christ by suffering the cruel death of crucifixion.

 

To this Peter reacted negatively. Though he gave the right answer, he had a wrong understanding of its full meaning. Or maybe Peter really understood the implication of Jesus’ predictions of his suffering, but was not ready to embrace this himself. Peter was, in essence, telling Jesus to deny both his identity and his mission.

 

Third, Jesus rebukes Peter’s attempt to turn him from the cross. Instead, he emphasizes the disciple is to acknowledge Jesus’ identity and mission and embrace the mystery of the cross in one’s own life. Having faith in Jesus is not just agreeing with a set of statements about Jesus. Having faith means following him. It means giving our lives to him. Having faith means that we make Jesus our way of life. And this is the way of the cross, the way of love.

 

Who do you say I am? This is a question each disciple of Jesus needs to answer. If he is Christ for us, then how do we respond to this reality? Is he truly the Lord of our lives, at the very center of our lives? Do we embrace or run away from the crosses in our path?

“It is our vocation to set people’s hearts ablaze, to do what the Son of God did, who came to light a fire on earth in order to set it ablaze with His love.” Frédéric Ozanam (1813-1853)

 

Do you see this as your calling in your state of life? This was the conviction of the Saints, no matter their walk of life, to be witnesses of God’s love in a world lacking this fire. A person’s life may be routine and aimless until they fall in love with another person, then they can’t contain themselves. Their life has new purpose. If this is true on a natural level, how much more true is it on the most important level, our eternal destiny. A person’ faith life may be still a seed that has not borne fruit. But, when they have a transforming encounter with the One who planted the seed in the first place, the power of love brings forth new fruit. But this love cannot be contained. Of its nature it needs to be given away. This spark of love, through witnessing to other becomes a roaring fire, spreading from one person to another. All because love made the difference.

 Twenty-fourth Sunday Year B 

Now Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." 

· Caesarea Philippi was rebuilt by Herod Philip and dedicated to the emperor, Caesar. There was another Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast.

· These were the popular opinions circulating about the identity of Jesus. But Jesus was more interested in who do they say he was.

· Who is Jesus to you? How did you see Jesus ten years ago? How do you see Jesus today? What has made the difference?

And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Messiah."  

· Though Peter gave the right response, he did not fully comprehend its true meaning.

· How did Peter see Jesus when Jesus first encountered him? What has made the difference in Peter’s present understanding of Jesus?

· Will Peter’s understanding of his statement that Jesus was the Messiah change after the resurrection? How so?

Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.  

· Why did Jesus tell them not to tell anyone about him yet? What has not happened for the fuller understanding of what it meant for Jesus to be Messiah to be clearer?

He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.  He spoke this openly.

· Notice Jesus says the he “must” suffer for it is the Divine plan of the Father for the salvation of the world.

· Jesus takes Peter’s confession and gives the right understanding. He was not a political Messiah but one who would give his life for the salvation of the world.

· This is the first of three predictions of Jesus’ upcoming suffering and death and resurrection which he shares with the disciples. Why do you think he does this three different times?

Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."  

· Peter did not want to publicly rebuke Jesus in front of the others. But Jesus was not going to so spare Peter. He had overstepped the boundary between disciple and Master.

· Why does Jesus call Peter, Satan? Would you be shaken if Jesus said this to you?

· Do we sometimes think not as God does but in the ways of others?

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said  to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel  will save it.”

· How do you apply this teaching of Jesus in your own life? What is Jesus asking of you at this time of your spiritual journey?

· What part of this reflection has touched you the most?

 

"My confidence is placed in God who does not need our help for accomplishing his designs. Our single endeavor should be to give ourselves to the work and to be faithful to him, and not to spoil his work by our shortcomings." St. Isaac Jogues 

 

St. Paul said: “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6-7) God will accomplish his plans in our lives, not without us, but with our full cooperation. Unfortunately, because of our tendency to sin, we get in the way of God, by inserting our “better mouse trap.” God is the Master Builder. He gives us the blueprint with each detail. He is the architect. We are the contractors and laborers. His design and details will lead us to eternal life, if we but follow faithfully. If we use faulty material, if we try to cut corners and not follow the specs, what is finished will not weather the storms and stresses of life.

 

 

“We must speak to them with our hands by giving, before we try to speak to them with our lips.” St. Peter Claver 

 

The old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” is definitely true. Don’t tell someone you love them, if you are not willing to show the person love. We are called to witness the saving powers of Jesus, but first we are called to take care of their needs. Once a person encounters the love of Christ, then the person is more receptive to hearing the message of Jesus. Too many times we are quick to inform before we prepare the soil of one’s heart to receive the saving word through an encounter of love and goodness.

 

 

 

“When you feel restless, sad, sorrowful and embittered, look for the cause, and if it is not worth being sorry about (and nothing that does not offend God is worth being sorry about), get rid of your anxiety; if you do not see the causes but feel restless and dissatisfied all the same, put up with it, arm yourself with patience, let the storm pass, and your inner peace will return.” Blessed Francisco Palau y Quer 

 

These feelings and emotions are part of the human journey. What we do with them or allow them to do to us is the issue. If these feelings come from sin on our part, then repent of the sin and return to the Lord. If they come from circumstances of life, which we have no control of, entrust oneself into the hands of the Lord, sharing in his passion. Turn the focus from ourselves to the Lord, who alone can make lemonade out of lemons. The peace that we desire during these times comes from our relationship with the Lord.

 

"God speaks in the silence of the heart.”  St Teresa of Calcutta 

 

When the prophet Elijah waited to hear God’s plan for him, it was in the quiet whisper in silence that he received his message. In that silence God’s quiet voice is heard. It is hard for us to enter into the quiet of silence because our mind is all over the place. Yet, that is the place and time God reveals his plan for us. There is no audible voice, but an inner awareness that brings peace to us. God himself gives us this direction in the Scriptures. “Be still and know that I am God.” Should we not follow it?

 

Homily Twenty-Third Sunday Year B

Reading 1:

Background.  People are exiled in Babylonia because they broke their sacred covenant with God. Isaiah gives them a message of hope from God. He said that God will bring them back, just as he delivered their ancestors, who were in bondage in Egypt. As God purified their ancestors in the desert for forty years and led them into the Promised Land, so God will deliver those now in exile.

 

While in exile, many had become accustomed to their new homeland and didn’t want to leave. Some were frightened of the harshness of the journey. God’s response: do not be afraid. Isaiah reminds them that it is God who will lead them back to Judea. He is their savior.

 

Isaiah reminds the people that God will give them signs, just as he did as of old. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the crippled will walk and dance, those mute will speak. God will provide water to drink even in the desert. Do not be afraid. Trust and obey.

 

How often do we need to hear the same comforting words in the midst of our difficulties! We may not be in exile, but we are confronted with our own problems, personal and social, political and ecclesial.

 

Reading 2:

The focus of this part of the Letter of James is the equality of faith. God shows no partiality. He gives everyone the grace of repentance and conversion, the grace of faith. The problem is that we, who have been so gifted freely by God, show partiality how we treat others in the community of faith.

 

If we do this, we are basing our treatment of one another, not on our common gift of faith, but on external human realities. In the case of the people James was addressing the problem was the distinction made between rich and poor. They gave preference to the material rich, the well dressed, the good looking, but looked down on the poor, the marginalized and the less attractive.

 

James reminds us that the way we treat others should be the way God treats us. He did not choose us because we were deserving but all of us were spiritually poor and in need of salvation, which comes through faith in Jesus. We should let the eyes of faith be the lens we use in our treatment of one another.

 

Gospel:

Jesus sees the faith expectation in the request of the people and in the eyes of the man afflicted by deafness and dumbness. Jesus knows he has come to proclaim the message of hope and salvation to a people in darkness. Jesus desired to bring healing and salvation to all, even those outside of the territory of Israel.

 

One of the signs of the new era God would bring, according to Isaiah in the first reading, was the opening of the ears to hear and the mute to speak.

 

Jesus is not about entertaining the crowds by performing a miracle. So he takes the man aside in order for the man to focus on how much God loves him. It is in this one to one encounter with Jesus that will remain riveted in the heart of the man and to which he will return again and again to reflect on.

 

The external signs Jesus use—touching, spittle, words—are sacramental in nature, namely, outward, visible signs of Jesus’ messianic power. At the baptism of a person, we do the same. We say over the ears and mouth as we make the sign of the cross on them: Be open so that you may hear the word of God and proclaim it to others.

 

The miracle is further enhanced because, not only does the man hear for the first time, but he is able to speak a language he has never heard or learned. He communicated clearly.

At the time, the reason Jesus said not to tell anyone is because they would see Jesus only as a miracle worker. Not until his death on the cross and his resurrection will they see him as the Lord and Messiah.

 

Today, we experience the Eucharistic miracle. As a result, we too need to go and proclaim to others the Good News of salvation and the marvelous love of God for us. We need to say: Fear not! Our God has come to save us. This gift is for everyone. Our faith and treatment should be a sign of that reality.

 

“We do not want to curse anyone, we do not want to hold anything against anyone, and we want to be good to everyone.” Blessed Joseph Georg Simon Häfner 

 

When we are mistreated or falsely accused, our human tendency may be to wish the worse on the other. We both suffer. We add our sin to the sin of the other. That’s not the way of a true disciple of Jesus. St. Paul reflected the thought of Jesus, when he wrote, “Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them.^” (Romans 12:14) The world is not transformed by the “eye for eye” mentality. Only love can break the strongholds of evil, for love endures but evil will eventually fail.

 

 Twenty-Third Sunday Year B

Again Jesus left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis. 

· Jesus goes to Sidon which is north of Tyre and then east to the Gentile territory on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  In a previous trip to this area he exorcised a demonic man and the people asked Jesus to leave their territory.

And people brought to him a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd.  

· Symbolically, the man can stand both for the Jews and Gentiles who were deaf to God and his word. Are we at times deaf to God’s word?

· Why do you think he took the man aside away from the crowd? Was it not to draw attention to what Jesus was going to do?

He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” --and immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.  

· What is the symbolism of putting his finger in the man’s ears and saliva on his tongue? What is the symbolism of Jesus looking up to heaven before  saying the words?

· Do you see a connection with baptism?

He ordered them not to tell anyone. But the more he ordered them not to, the more they proclaimed it. They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”

· In ordering the people not to say anything about the actual healing, Mark was trying to convey to his readers that Jesus was more than a healer. We must wait until his death and resurrection to fully understand the mystery of Jesus.

· What needs to be opened in our hearts, eyes and minds? What application do we make from this miracle?

"There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection." Pope St. Gregory the Great 

 

This is the spiritual journey that we are on. It began for us in Baptism, but we were too young to know. Later, we had a " conversion" experience, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The full grace of our baptism was released. The reality of sin became clearer to us as we moved on. Not that we no longer sinned, but we saw sin for what it is. We began to deal with our sins, seeking through the Sacraments the grace to move from darkness into light. Without knowing, we were on the road of perfection, which is completed in death and if necessary the purifying fires of purgatory. Keep your eyes on the prize.

 

 

“I calmly do what I can, the rest is done by the Lord, who can do everything. With his help everything is light and smooth, because we serve a good master.”  Blessed Francisco Gárate Aranguren, SJ 

 

Unfortunately, many feel they have to do everything, rather than only what they can. Why? Is to prove themselves? Is it that they don’t trust that God really cares? Whatever the reason their task becomes a burden to accomplish alone. They may feel overwhelmed. They failed to realize they are not starting from scratch, but with something given already by God. He gives us opportunities to serve with him in the perfection of his creation, as an apprentice under the Master. Once we realize this relationship, our task will be easy and our burden light, for all is in his hands, for his purpose.