💖 HOMILY - JANUARY 31 💖

First Reading - Hebrews 12:1-4 

Gospel - Mark 5:21-43

Our technological advancements are great pride for us because they can bring healing and speedy recovery in the case of illness, comfort and convenient lifestyle in the case of gadgets, vehicles, houses etc. Though we have advanced a lot in many ways but we are not eternal and permanent and this reminds us that our means also are not perfect but imperfect like us. Thus we need the help and mercy of God in our lives. The readings remind us today that we need to grow in our faith to experience the compassion and mercy of God in our lives so that we can also share it others.

We have been hearing how the author of the letter to the Hebrews had beautifully demonstrated the faith of the ancestors of Israel, a historical recital. In today's passage, the author turns to the recipients of the letter with encouragement by setting Jesus as the model of endurance for them. The author encouragers the audience to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus who leads their faith to perfection. 'Keeping the eyes fixed on Jesus' means emulating Jesus in his faith and action. The passage also underlines that in doing so, the reward of eternal life in Jesus is assured.

The gospel passage of today displays the power of Jesus over sickness and death. The major theme in the miracle stories of healing of the woman with a hamorrhage and raising of Jairus daughter beacon at the result of strong faith, thus healing and salvation by faith. Both bring out the compassion of Jesus for those who had a lowly place in Jewish society: two females, one of whom was a child, the other an outcast due to her continuing state of ritual impurity. Jesus didn't neglect the needs of a lowly women to impress an influential religious official. Both incidents show that when human means have failed, God through Jesus can succeed. The juxtaposition of the faith of a humble woman and that of a religious official reinforces the importance of faith. All must have it!

Dear friends, the word 'compassion' (Latin words 'cum' - with, 'passio' - to suffer, thus it means to suffer with) refers to the very nature of God where He is able to put Himself in our shoes and feel what we feel. In the gospel, we see how Jesus unpacks his compassionate nature to the woman who was suffering from the hamorrhage and Jairus' daughter who was on the verge of death and later had died. The compassion of Jesus flows as a result of the faith shown by the woman and Jairus. We need to approach God in faith and our faith in Him can never deceive us. The first reading of today also reminds us that our faith in Jesus can't fail because Jesus leads our faith to perfection. 

The first reading also invites us to set Jesus as our model of life for our faith and our daily living. It's important that we should emulate Jesus in his faith and action because that gives us assurance of our eternal life. Let's emulate Jesus in his compassionate action towards one another particularly the needy. Jesus was able to feel and put himself in the shoes of the suffering. Any of our little help offered for the needy is a gesture of the emulation of the compassionate action of Jesus. At the same time, let's also mould our faith as the faith of Jesus to see the world with love and hope. Let's remind ourselves that our human efforts can fail, our scientific technology can betray us but our reliance on God cannot as is manifested by Jesus himself.

May God help us keep Jesus as the model of our faith and action.