Homily - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 11th February 2024

Homily

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

11th February 2024

Several of the Gospel readings over the last few weeks have shown people who had a deep faith. They believe that Jesus had the authority and compassion to help them.

Two weeks ago, Jesus’s authority was proved by the unclean spirit that had possessed a man. It knew who Jesus was, and shouted his name, Jesus of Nazareth the Holy One of God. Jesus ordered the demon to be quiet and come out of the man. The unclean spirit threw the man into convulsions, reluctant to leave but did, astonishing all the people.

Last Sunday, Jesus accompanied James and John, to Simon and Andrew’s house, where Simon’s mother-in-law was ill. Jesus lifted her and she became well enough to serve people again. That evening many people came to Jesus to be healed of their illness or had devils cast out of them.

Last Thursday’s Gospel saw Jesus visiting the territory of Tyre, he still did not want to be recognised but a pagan woman came to him and begged for his help. Her daughter had been possessed. This is when Jesus said to her that the children needed to be fed first, as in the Jewish people. The women’s reply showed her faith in Jesus. “Even the housedogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps,” she said. Jesus told her she could go home happy; “the devil has gone out of your daughter.” When she got home, she found her daughter as he said she would.

Today, the leper asked Jesus that if he wanted, he could cure him of his skin disease. Jesus said he was willing to do so and commanded he be cured, and the leprosy left the man at once. Jesus tells the man to follow what Moses prescribed by showing himself to the priest, in the manner stated in Leviticus. Again, Jesus asked him not to tell others what had happened. To keep it quiet. Jesus found it difficult to walk around the towns because of his popularity, so had to stay in the countryside where no-one lived.

Jesus was not seeking glory. He wanted the recognition to go to his Father. All glory and praise should go to God. Jesus humbled himself to become a human, so he could live amongst us. To experience what we do. Yet, he still had compassion for everyone he met, no matter who they were, pagan, gentile, Greek, Roman or Jew. No matter whether the person was ravaged by demons or riddled with illness, he was willing to help them, if only they believed in him. Everyone, humans, and demons recognised Jesus’s authority and were awe inspired by him. Some say fear but other say it is better to say respect. Those who knew Jesus did not seem to fear him but had great admiration for him.

Why did the demon throw the man around? It was because it could not cope with the love and compassion that came from Jesus, because they had rejected him. If we are true followers of Jesus, we are encouraged to model ourselves on what Paul tells the Corinthians to do. We are not to be anxious about how to take advantage but to offer what we can give to others. What can we give? We are asked to give what we have in excess, what we have extra. We are encouraged not to be selfish, to show compassion in everything we do, no matter what, and to always offer it up for the glory of God. We are not to judge others because they may seem to be different, alien, or foreign. Every human being on this planet is to be considered as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Paul mentions the Church of God. Each Sunday we go to a building we call a church, or a chapel, or a cathedral, but the building is not the church. The church, the body of Christ is us, the people who come together to honour Our Lord, to give him praise for being the sacrificial Lamb of God, who died for all our sins, so that we may be saved, through the Grace of God.

The psalm reminds us to acknowledge our sins and to confess our offences against the Lord, and we will be forgiven. We are to rejoice in Him and lift our Hearts. If we put our trust in Our Lord Jesus Christ and be lifted by the Holy Spirit, we will be giving praise to Our Heavenly Father, and it will be fear running away, like the devils and the leprosy.

You are my refuge, O Lord; you fill me with the joy of salvation. Amen.

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