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Homily for Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Zech 9:9-10; Rom 8: 9, 11-13; Matt 11: 25-30)

REFLECT: God’s Care is beyond any possible cures of the world…

Dear friends, today we are in the fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Our lives are filled with varieties of celebrations and occasion, events and plans; we are overjoyed or overburdened, feel quite happy at times and feel empty and exhausted as well. We look for peace and rest in someone or in something. Be for sure nothing can give us complete peace and rest in God’s care and love, God’s presence and providence than anything in the world, but we need to believe in God. The readings of the day invite us to focus that God cares for us beyond every cure that we experience in human phase of life. God cares for everyone and wishes that everyone’s tears and sadness be wiped away.  God’s care brings calmness and peace to the heart, mind, body and will.

Perhaps, today everyone is in a quest for rest, a rest for the wearied bodies, a rest for the troubled-hearts, a rest for the anxious mind and refreshment to the will with which we decide upon various events of life. The rest, the renewal and the refreshment to the integral part of human life that we seek for is possible when we rely on God’s power and place ourselves in his heart, mind and will. God’s care can be a beyond cure for the one who believes and trusts in divine providence of the Lord. So based on the readings of the day I would like to share with you three points of reflection as how we can experience God’s care and cure for our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual spheres of human life.  

1.     A call to share the joy

There is a famous Swedish proverb, “Shared joy is double joy; Shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” As human persons, we have lots of stories of joys, happiness and achievement to share with others. When we share our joy with others it increases our joy too. The first reading begins with the words of joy “rejoice greatly,” “shout for joy,” and the reason for rejoicing and joyous proclamation is because of a king, who would come victoriously, riding on a donkey to wipe away the tears of many and make peace prevail on earth. It describes both the arrival of Messiah and the way He will govern the kingdom of God that’s announced.

The exercise of his office as a ruler and king will be purely governed by justice and righteousness, meekness and humility. The king comes to overthrow and banish the chariots, the horse and the battle bow. It gives us a picture that the king that is prophesied by Prophet Zechariah would banish war and bring peace on earth. Therefore the first reading from Prophet Zechariah is considered as a messianic prophecy that would be fulfilled in Jesus. The Prophecy of Zechariah reminds us of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem in (Matt 21:5), where Jesus enters Jerusalem symbolizing a peaceful rule in righteousness and riding on a donkey as a sign of meekness and humility.

Perhaps it is joyous news for all of us too, because to share with another that Jesus is come to bring joy and peace on earth could be the most delightful feel and moment we can ever think of. Most of us have wide-variety of gifts, resources, talents and treasures etc to share with others, but do we share the words of Jesus and messages of Jesus that he offers us daily in everyday events or share the divine feel and experience in the Holy Eucharist that we attend or read the Holy Bible? We all find delightful to share the goods and commodities that has an attractive and welcoming note among many. We all find delightful to share our own ideas and concepts, personal plans and precepts with others for want of publicity and praise. But we find hard to share the good news of Christ in words or deeds, although there are some who spend a quite a lot of time in evangelization works and the mission of God.

By experience we all have understood that we obtain joy by sharing our own joys with others. Just imagine, if we could share Jesus, the real joy of life, I am sure we would be happy forever and the life would be so joyful. But to obtain that real joy, we need to believe that Jesus is the real joy and Jesus will make us joyful, Jesus will drive far away the daily dark shadows of life, clear the confusions and doubts that arise and confine us with his love and care. Today, many of us have drowned in sorrow and sinning, not knowing or not realizing that Jesus is the real joy of life. Let us rise with faith in Jesus that he will wipe away our tears and sadness, even if it could be so taxing or heavy.

2.     A call to bear witness

If someone or something bears witness to a fact, it proves that it is true. As Christians we are called to bear witness to Christ in words and by works of life to ascertain that the God whom we worship and adore is real and true, making them known to others the goodness and good works of God in our lives. A Christian cannot think of himself or herself apart from Christ, because a Christian is the one who is connected to Christ by one’s way of life as Christ lived, taught and manifested himself as God’s beloved one. The second reading from letter to the Romans very well expresses that we are not in the flesh but in the spirit and anyone who does not have the spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” Yes, the spirit that enabled Jesus to do God’s will, the spirit that animated and accompanied Jesus, the spirit that empowered Jesus in times of temptations and trials, the spirit that raised him from death is in us too, if we are connected to Christ.

Our connection to Christ as Christians would be made possible by the way we manifest Christ and bear witness to him in our lives. The moment we are ready and oblige ourselves to connect with or to Christ, the spirit of God or spirit of Jesus takes complete control of us. The moment the spirit takes control of us, we become God’s own sons and daughters, co-workers with Christ in his mission. And when we become his sons and daughters, we become his. So what gives us identity is our readiness, willingness and genuineness in witnessing Christ in our lives. For this reason of genuine witness, we are called not to be of the flesh, which has a worldly nature with its own desires and pleasures of the world but of the spirit that gives life to our immortal bodies, that directs us to God and that makes us God’s children.

Today although we are baptized and have received sacraments to be incorporated into the Catholic Church as members, if we still lack the spirit of Christ in our lives, we just become name sake Christians or just labeled as Christians like a brand or title card. The real Christian life or the real connection with Christ will resemble ourselves as another Christ for people. Many a times we don’t possess the spirit of Christ in us and that’s the moment we become indifferent to one another, insensitive to another, become indignant of another’s growth and inclined to the worldly pleasures and pressures. Today, let us pray that we don’t become name-sake Christians rather become Christian in the name of Christ and in the spirit of Christ as another Christ in character and life we live.

3.     A call to care everyone

To care for someone means manifesting our love and concern for another. The care for another spontaneously takes place, when we love another. To care someone would also mean that we give the provision of all that is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection. More than ever, today we are called to care for everyone; the rich and the poor, the needy and untidy, the lonely and desolated, the sick and the suffering, the disturbed and distressed persons. The reason perhaps why we need to care others is caring helps us to strengthen our relationships with God who created us in his own image and build up emotional connections with our brothers and sisters. When we allow ourselves to care those around us with their own limitations and strengths, we truly make our lives and others’ lives happier, and perhaps we find life more fulfilling and satisfactory.

The Gospel reading presents to us Jesus as the real care-giver and care-taker of life, although life is the combination of happiness and sorrows. Very specially, in times of sadness and weariness of different sort, Jesus promises us to give us rest from all that bothers and worries us. Such an experience of relaxation and rest is possible when we place a total trust and confidence in Christ, entrusting all forms of worries and anxieties of life in the hands of God and thus resting our hearts in the heart of Christ. Therefore, if we want to get rid of all our worries and troubles then we need to rest in the heart of Christ. That’s precisely Jesus says, “come to me all who labor and are overburdened and I will give you rest.” One of the reasons why Jesus called people to rest in him was because the Pharisees and Sadducees were overburdening the people of that time with lots of laws, rites, boasting their vast knowledge about the scripture and finding fault with people and Jesus too.

But, when we look at the life of Jesus, we could understand that He was never a burden to the society rather brought peace and rest to the society. Only those who could not accept or understand Jesus were restless, waiting for an opportune time to criticize or accuse or knock him down. Jesus’ love and care for people seen numerous times in the Gospels; when he proposed the law of love for enemies and not an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth; his sensitivity to state that man is not for Sabbath but Sabbath for man; and his relationship with people of all sorts by table fellowship without causing any divisions in the society. These all show that Jesus wanted to better the situation of the society where everyone would be treated fairly, equally and live in peace and harmony.

Today, many of us are worried and are anxious about so many things in life. On one hand, Parents worry about the future of their children and children about their life.  On the other hand, youngsters are anxious about their peer-group pressures and aged people about the struggles of life. Today Jesus calls all of us with arms open wide, “come to me all who are heavily burdened by household duties and obligations, I will give you relief”; Jesus calls “come to me all who are overburdened by media, gadgets, mobile phones, TV, to a material and a fashioned world and I will give you rest”; Jesus calls, “come to me all who are haunted by bitter experiences of life and I will give you better solutions for life.”Can we hold on to him firmly? Jesus does not call us for a material rest to rest on the material world, where the use and throw commodities do not last longer. But Jesus calls us for a spiritual rest to be united with him in prayer for ever. Be for sure when we trust his providence, it works unimaginable and unthinkable. For such is the power of God’s love, care and concern. So let us not worry about what we shall do when problems arise rather count on the strength of God in us and the spirit of God in us.

Let me conclude with a Short message that someone has very beautifully written: “There are only two things to worry about whether you are healthy or sick. If healthy no problem but if you are sick you will have to worry for two things, whether you will live or die. If you live no problem but if you die two problems whether you will go to heaven or hell. If you go to heaven you will have got nothing to do but if hell you will be so busy trembling in fear and will have no time to worry.”  Yes, let us not worry what and how of life rather believe in the words of Jesus, “Don’t get overburdened or worried about life, I will help you and give you rest to tackle the problems and worries of life”. Let us cast our cares upon the Lord and find favour with Him. Let us stop worrying and begin to believe in the providence and assistance of God to obtain peace on earth. Let our hearts rest in the heart of God, so that we may be freed from all forms of restlessness and anxieties of life. May God help us to persevere in this effort.

RESPOND:

Do we share the joy that we experience in God or in our God experience to others?

Do we bear witness to Christ by the words that we utter and deeds that we do every day?

Do we care for one another as God cares for us regardless of who we are, what we are, where we are and how we are?

Let us share our God experience with one another, bear witness to Christ and care for the humanity and the entire universe as God’s care is beyond any possible cures of the world. Amen.

God bless us all! Live Jesus!

Fr. Ramesh George MSFS

rameshvkmsfs@gmail.com

9500930968