💖 HOMILY - SEPTEMBER 27 💖

First Reading - Job 3:1-3,11-17,20-23 

Gospel - Luke 9:51-56

Everyone undergoes struggles, pains, sufferings and difficulties in one's life. What matters is the kind of outlook we have towards such situations. There are many who can smile even through their heart wrenching situations and there are also who are broken down in the face of a small problem. Why so? Because of our outlook or perspective towards that situation. The readings invite us to have a positive outlook towards our challenges and struggles. 

The first reading, demonstrates disheartening situation of Job, as a result he bursts out to curse his day of birth. After the three ‘Job’s comforters’ have demonstrated their sympathy by sitting on the ground beside him for seven days and seven nights, Job suddenly breaks the silence and, in the richest poetic imagery, comprehensively curses the day he was born. No doubt is left that there is anything but misery in his life. Certainly, the misery and suffering of Job seem to be discouraging for any righteous person who desires to remain faithful to God. The question arises - "Why should I suffer such things If I have been faithful to God?''

The gospel tries to give us an answer to this question that road to suffering is that leads to greater joy of salvation therefore have patience and perseverance through suffering. The journey of Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem is filled with instructions by Jesus to his disciples. Jerusalem is going to be the place of his destiny (suffering, passion, death). Jesus, through his rejection by Samaritans in the passage of today, teaches his disciples about the impending suffering and rejection they would have to undergo subsequently when they take up the missionary work. The reaction of James and John to the rejection of Samaritans and their request to Jesus if could call fire from heaven evoke the calling of fire from heaven by Elijah. Jesus dissociates himself from the request of the disciples to punish the Samaritans. By this, he confirms that he is not another Elijah but the suffering Messiah heading towards the cross in Jerusalem. The firm decision of Jesus to embrace crucifixion is a lesson to the disciples for the suffering that the call to discipleship entails. 

Dear friends, challenges to discipleship are great but the challenges become endurable with our firm decision to remain strong for the love of Christ and the good news. Jesus realised the sufferings in Jerusalem, but remained firm and strong because of his love for the salvation of humanity. It's really hard to endure sufferings and pains in life as we see in Job who finds it hard to understand his pains and sufferings in his life. He finds it burdensome to endure them. This is true with us as well. We do find sufferings and struggles difficult to embrace. Jesus teaches us today that path to discipleship is path to struggles, difficulties, rejections, humiliations but we have to learn to endure them patiently because there is resurrection after crucifixion so also there is a great joy after our sufferings and struggles.

We do need to have a positive response to the sufferings and pains in life like Jesus, who didn't react to the rejections by Samaritans but he moved on. It also means he was not struck to the rejections. Many times when we are struck to our problems, rejections, negative experiences and fail to move on, we just react like, Job, James and John and our problems become mammoth and insurmountable. Let's own the response of Jesus as our pattern of life, when faced with negative situations, to move on and not get struck with those negative experiences. It's certainly tough but not impossible.

May God give us strength to face the challenges, struggles and pains of our lives with positive outlook.