💖 HOMILY - JULY 9 💖

First Reading - Hosea 8:4-7,11-13 

Gospel - Matthew 9:32-37

Today’s Gospel describes the healing of a deaf and mute man by an exorcism Jesus performed during one preaching and healing journey. It also mentions the Pharisees’ accusation that Jesus used the power of Beelzebub to heal the man, and then describes Jesus’ sympathy for the whole of the leaderless people.

Jesus had a double mission, to preach the Good News of God’s love and salvation to the “lost sheep” of the House of Israel, and to liberate people from the power of sin, illnesses, and evil spirits. The first part of today’s Gospel describes the misinterpretation of Jesus’ liberating mission by the Pharisees when Jesus healed a deaf and mute man by exorcism. In the second part, Jesus expresses true compassion for the shepherdless sheep of Israel because their shepherds were more interested in the external observance of the Law and its sacrifices than in giving people God’s word and promoting by example and word, the practice of love, mercy, and justice. That is why Jesus reminds the listeners to pray for genuine shepherds to feed them and lead them.

Dear friends, we need to share Christ’s preaching and liberating mission. Let us remember the words of St. Teresa of Avila: “Now Jesus has no other mouths, eyes, ears, hands and feet than ours.” Jesus places a preaching and healing mission in our care and helps us to continue it. The most effective way of preaching Christ is by leading a transparent Christian life, radiating Jesus’ love, mercy, and forgiveness. But we cannot liberate others as long as we are in chains. Hence, let us first receive Jesus’ liberation of us from the chains which bind us.