Homily Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time February 4, 2024
I’m sorry if you came to Mass today in a rather good mood,
and feeling kind of up, because our first reading is sure to bring you
down. It is really a bummer. It starts: “Is not man’s
life on earth a drudgery? Are not his
days those of hirelings?” Notice that verse 5 has been left out, skipped
over. It is pretty gross. It says: “My skin is clothed with worms
and scabs; my skin cracks and festers;”
Ugggh! And the reading ends on
this ‘happy’ note: “My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they
come to an end without hope. Remember
that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.” … This
reading makes Eeyore look like a sparkling bon vivant! //
I think this
downer of a reading is given to us at the beginning of our liturgy today as a reality
check. Always in the back of our
heads is the terrible violence and suffering in Ukraine, in Jesus’ own
homeland, in so many shootings and killings and violence in our own cities and
neighborhoods. The scourge of fentanyl
and illegal drugs. And as the national
election creeps nearer many of us fear an increase in division, hatred, and
violence. This bummer of a reading is a
reminder of the depressing seriousness of sin, and our situation left to our
own devices, without the intervention of a savior. //
Skip now to
the Gospel. Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law, and the result is “she waited
on them.” The healing not only
saved her, but empowered her to be of service.
Salvation comes not just for our personal benefit, but so we can truly
be of service to others.
Then we are told something that I find interesting. “When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons…”
Obviously,
Jesus is stronger and more powerful than illness and evil. But notice the time. When a Gospel writer tells you the time most
often it means something. And in this
Gospel Mark tell us it was after the sun had set and it was dark. It was dark.
First century
towns in Galilee were not lit up like Austin.
When the sun went down it was dark.
Very dark. And that was the time
of crimes, of evil. It was the devils’ time.
Jesus does not wait till it is dark to
do His healings as a convenience to those who had day jobs and so waited until
they were off of work. No, Jesus cured
many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, to show
His complete power over evil, even in the night, in the domain of
evil. Jesus is, in a sense, showing
off. He is flexing His muscle. He is making it abundantly clear that He is
stronger than evil. Jesus goes into the
devil’s home turf, in enemy territory, in the dark, to show that He is even
stronger than sickness and death. //
In the midst
of all that pulls us down, of all the bad and depressing news, of increased
polarization and fracturing of our society, a time of ignorance and anger and
maliciousness, we are called, like Job, to be realistic, to not make light of
the problems and reality we face, to look clear eyed and soberly at the truth
of our predicament. But we do not
give up. We do not collapse. We do not despair.
[[ Today at this Mass Colette Lily,
daughter of Lauren and Nicholas, will be Baptized into Christ, to share in His wonderful
life. All of us who are Baptized
likewise share in Christ’s life and glory. ]]
Following His
way to Life is not easy, but He gives us the help of the Holy Spirit. All of us, by Baptism and
Confirmation, are blessed and empowered to carry on the fight of Jesus against
evil and against sin, both in our own hearts, and in our society and world,
even after the sun has set and it has grown dark.
Jesus is
Risen! Alleluia!
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