HOMILY FOR SATURDAY OF THE 15TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: No Rest for the Weary
BY: Deacon Bill Frere
HOMILY FOR SATURDAY JULY 16 2022
Gospel – Matthew 12:14-21
We have all had one of those ‘endless’ days! What started out as a relatively normal, calm day turned into more work, more stress, more demands to carry out. And it wasn’t just work; it was also people asking for help, people you couldn’t and wouldn’t say no to. So you just let it pile on. That evening when you got home and you thought you had those last few hours of the day to put your feet up and relax and just catch your breath. And then the phone rings, you need to help getting dinner on the table, help the kids with homework, corralling them into bed and then start planning for the next day. Now don’t get me wrong; many of those commitments were done willingly and out of love because you just can’t say no and you truly want to help. But at the end of the (every) day, you are exhausted.
And so it is for Jesus in today’s Gospel. The Pharisees are openly plotting to arrest and kill Jesus. So He went away from that place. But the crowds follow Him. And He CURED THEM ALL! He didn’t avoid the crowds; He didn’t tell them to leave Him alone! He welcomed them and cured them, and not just some, ALL of them! No matter how tired, how overloaded He was, He responded to the needs of those in pain. He responded out of love.
Those of us who are parents know those nights when we are so tired that we can’t move. All we want is uninterrupted sleep. And yet, if our child calls out in the middle of the night, we get up and tend to their needs – out of love!
And so it is that we are called to do the same. No matter the time, the circumstance, no matter how tired or stressed we are, when a friend in need calls out, we answer the call! The Responsorial Psalm says it quite plainly: “you behold misery and sorrow, taking them in your hands. On you the unfortunate man depends; of the fatherless you are the helper.”
Great Spirit, open my eyes and my heart today, so that I may better serve you and my family! Aho!
Deacon Bill Frere