Homily for Thursday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time Cycle II
Theme: UNSWERVING FAITH IS ALWAYS REWARDED
By: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
Homily for Thursday July 2 2020
READINGS: AMOS 7:10-17, PSALM 19, MATTHEW 9:1-8
✓•Effort pays, never forget that.
✓•Help others reach their destinations. Help them meet God.
✓•Never take advantage of the incapacitated; be like the friends of the paralytic.
✓•Jesus can do it all; only strive to meet him.
Our gospel passage is both a demonstration of an unswerving faith and the ensuing reward from Christ. The friends of the Paralytic consciously or unconsciously believed that Jesus had the power to heal their friend hence they made concerted efforts to reach him. Jesus on his part even in the face of opposition from his own people who accused him of blasphemy (Matt. 9:3) went on to heal the man of his paralysis. Here is a man saved by the faith of his friends. Faith is needful in our journey of faith, some have it others don’t, it is every Christian’s duty to bring those paralyzed in faith or spirit to Jesus who’d forgive their sins and restore their lost faith. It is true that we cannot force people against their wills to be Christians, but we may do the best we could to bring them before Christ who’d take it from there.
The Christian who makes effort to meet Jesus in prayer and committed Christian living is necessarily favoured by Christ. Simon invited Christ to his house – he cured his mother-in-law, the leper came begging on his knees – he was made well; Bartimaeus cried out to him on the road and he had his sight restored. Today, the men of resource who made sure their paralyzed friend met Jesus earned him a saving! What does this suggest to us? Effort pays. Though God is gratuitous in his dealings with us, our efforts to meet him is quite needful. The weak, ignorant, sinful and lost could also be saved by our faith. May we not hesitate to draw such nearer to Christ.
The Church desires that as we begin this second part of the year, we should come face to face with Jesus: the healer of our infirmities, the one who delivers us from all evil and satanic manipulations; and the one who is able to forgive our all our sins. Are you living in sin, Jesus forgives every repentant soul, come to him. Are you sick, Jesus heals every infirmity, submit yourself to him and you’re healed already. Are you under any demonic spell, any satanic influence; is the devil holding you captive, approach Jesus and your story will change forever. May I invite us all to fall on bended knees before Christ, placing at his feet all our cares and he’ll take it from there most definitely. Of this, I am very sure.
Moreover, Jesus’ healing is psychosomatic; he heals the whole person: body and soul. The paralytic was cured comprehensively and am sure his life changed eternally. We too may want to meet Jesus today so he could heal our broken souls, crushed spirits, rotten hearts and ailing bodies. We may do well to approach him in faith believing that he’d make us whole again even as he prepares us for eternity through the forgiveness of our sins.
HELP THE NEEDY