YEAR B: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY 8TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: TAKE COURAGE; GET UP, JESUS IS CALLING YOU
BY: Fr Deotacious Chikontwe SMA
1 Peter 2:2-5, 9-12, Resp Psalm 100:2, 3, 4, 5, Mark 10:46-52
INTRODUCTION
Good Morning my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate Thursday of the 8th Week in the Ordinary Time, Liturgical Calendar Year B.
FROM OUR FIRST READING
The passage in today’s First Reading contains four powerful images to convey truths about our spiritual lives. First, at the beginning of our Christian lives, we are like newborn infants, who need to be nourished with spiritual milk. This milk will strengthen us and help us grow and mature in salvation. The second image Peter uses is that of a spiritual house made of living stones. Jesus is the living stone rejected by humanity and we are called to be living stones. We form part of the spiritual house and New Temple of God. The third image is that of the royal priesthood. Through our baptism, we are anointed as priests and called to offer spiritual sacrifices to God. The fourth image is that of forming part of God’s covenant people. One of the blessings of this covenant relationship is mercy. If we fail and break our covenant relationship, God is ready to welcome us back with merciful arms.
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FROM OUR GOSPEL READING
We have a very good example of a prayer of petition in today’s gospel reading. A blind man, sitting at the side of the road, cries out to Jesus as he passes by, ‘Son of David, have pity/mercy on me’. He desperately wanted to connect with Jesus. The people around Jesus scolded him and told him to be quiet. Perhaps they were trying to protect Jesus from an annoying beggar. However, these people could not stop the blind man’s prayer. In response to their efforts to silence him, he shouted towards Jesus all the louder. He will allow no one to come between himself and Jesus. He displays the kind of persevering prayerful faith we all need in difficult times.
CONCLUSION
Jesus’ response to the blind man’s cry was very different to the response of those around him. The gospel reading says, ‘Jesus stopped’. The Lord always stops for us whenever we call to him. He has time for us, especially when we cry out to him in our need. Whereas the people around Jesus tried to silence the blind man, Jesus calls him over and addresses him in a very personal way, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ The Lord is always personally present to us, whenever we cry out to him in our need. In response to our prayer, he encourages us to give expression to what it is we truly want, the deepest desires in our heart. The blind man’s encounter with Jesus was truly life-changing for him. He begins to see and then immediately begins his life as a disciple of Jesus, following him along the way. Whenever we come before the Lord in prayer and allow him to touch our lives, we too will begin to see him more clearly and we will be empowered to follow him more fully.
I wish everyone a Blessed Wednesday.
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