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(20th October 2024) Homily for the Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

READ: (Isa 53: 10-11; Heb 4: 14-16; Mk 10: 35-45)

REFLECT: In the Mission of God, Suffering offers God’s love in abundance…

Dear friends, today we are in the twenty-ninth Sunday in ordinary time. Today the holy mother the Church commemorates Mission Sunday, making us all aware of the missionary nature of the church. We are called to hold on to the mission of Christ and be missionaries to share the good news of Christ to the people near and far. The mission of God is to spread and share the love, live in love and experience God’s love in people.  The liturgy of the word invites us to reflect the love of God in abundance is poured on us to establish his mission and to execute his mission through the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Suffering is something unpleasant thing that we experience in life. Suffering can be from oneself or others. Suffering is personal, communal, social, familial, physical, mental, emotional and psychological, most importantly, suffering is there in everyone’s life and no one deny the fact. But, suffering is not the only part of life; suffering is not the only path; suffering is not so easy or not so difficult; suffering is not as well license to overcome sadness or obtain gladness. It is part of life, so we need to accept life as it flows.

That’s what we read from the book of Job. Job’s wife says to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!” “You speak as a foolish woman speaks,” he told her. “Should we accept from God only good and not adversity?” (Job 2:9-10). In all this, Job did not sin in what he said. So we need to consider that suffering is just a part of life, and then we will understand that there are various outlooks towards life and life will be a happy journey. But it does not happen so soon, because we are easily carried away by the negativities around us; the sufferings and pains that we undergo deviate us. However, the liturgy of the word helps us to understand the aspect of suffering better that suffering as a new way or another way to obtain happiness in life. Therefore, today I would like to share with you three points as a reflection.

1.     Suffering – a way to accomplish God’s will:

God’s plans are different for each one. Some people may accomplish God’s will in happiness and some others by suffering or sorrow. But God has a plan for each one and he fulfills his designs accordingly. Perhaps, suffering is not the only way to accomplish God’s will but one of the ways God allows or we undergo in order to accomplish God’s will. Here, suffering could be looked as an opportunity or time to grow in faith and love of God and others. It could be that we are drawn closer to God through suffering for a higher calling, higher purpose and divine purpose for which God has a plan for us. Such perspectives only allows us look at life that suffering is not meaningless rather it is for a deeper relationship with God and for a higher purpose of the divine. Something similar we find in the first reading from prophet Isaiah.

The first reading from prophet Isaiah is the song of the suffering servant. We Christians associate or refer this song of the suffering servant to the suffering of Christ. Here the suffering of the servant manifests the redemptive value and purpose of God’s plan. It is an act of atonement that through his pain and suffering, all would be justified, forgiven and obtains salvation in the self-offering of Christ. The accomplishment of God’s will by suffering servant in suffering and dying is that he offers life in abundance, bearing upon himself the infirmities and iniquities for our salvation. So the servant suffers not for the sake of his own release or relief rather for the redemption of all those in sin and lost their connection with God.

The first reading of the day puts us a little deeper reflection about suffering and its importance in our lives as Christians. We see that it was clearly the plan of God that Jesus is born as a human person, lowering himself from the state of divine nature to suffer and die for the salvation of all. Therefore, Jesus was born according to the plan of God, lived among us like anyone of us, proclaimed the message of God, suffered and died for our salvation and rose again to show that  God has power over death and Jesus lives eternally as Son of God. It is a reminder to all of us that what God wants to accomplish through us will never go out of his track. He wills it and makes it happen, so that through us what God wants would be initiated and accomplished. The price for it would be at times suffering and the prize for it would be joy.  We need to be open for it and be prepared for it. Ultimately we need to have faith in God and in his graces that  he would help us overcome all sufferings and  pains we go through.

That’s what Pope Francis would say, “Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, his response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.” Yes, God’s accompanying presence is always with us, provided we realize it and trust in him totally. So let us realize that suffering is another way to accomplish God’s will in our lives and when we accomplish God’s will while we suffer, God’s grace is bountiful and we become strong in our love for God and for one another.

2.     Suffering- a way to solidarity:

It is good to show solidarity not only when one is well but also when persons are ill and suffering. Solidarity with people in joy and pain mark the shared experiences of people. we mostly like to share with people the happiness and joys but avoid sorrowful moments and  painstaking hours, because we don’t want to really go through what the person goes through in pain. Because we have a feeling ‘it is none of my business.’ If we could really understand well, we would know that shared experiences in times of affliction and pain can establish deeper bond of relationships and friendship for good of the individuals and society. Being in tune with one another or having the same mind is another way of being in the world to show our solidarity. This is what our association makes. Sometimes we associate with others in their happiness and with some other we associate in their sorrow to make them joyful and joy filled. It is just a part of life. That’s what we see in the Second Reading from the letter to Hebrews.

The letter to Hebrews very clearly points out that Jesus the high priest was able to sympathize in our weakness in every way except in sin. The difference between Jesus and us is the following; Jesus was indeed divine Son of God and strong in everything but made weak for our sake, but we are weak in nature and born weak. Jesus was made weak to sympathize with us in our weakness and prove to everyone that weak can be made strong by the grace and blessings, power and strength from God; Jesus associated or united with us to make us strong, similarly, when we become weak for the sake of the other, when we become vulnerable for the miserable conditions of the other, when we suffer for the sake of the other, in a way we are uniting ourselves with them to show solidarity and union with other. We need to understand that associations are possible when we are open to share our struggles and come forward in reaching out to people those who are in sorrow and suffering. It can provide us a platform to avoid barriers and prejudices, allow us to build genuine human connection and bond with one another.

Indeed, the solidarity with people should not arise out of sympathy rather empathy, understanding and feeling the pain of others as if it was our own. Such empathetic approach towards people would bring about a good and genuine change in the society. But most of us unite with others in the perspective of sympathy and not empathy. We only look from far and feel pity for people in the state of their misery and misfortune. We don’t enter into the shoes of the other to know how painful the experiences of people are. Jesus shows us the way in today’s letter to the Hebrews, he did not only sympathize with in our weakness rather he became weak like us and experienced what it means to be weak. Jesus suffered in solidarity with us to make us all one with God. That’s what Pope Francis very aptly shares “Through the experience of suffering and illness, we, as the Church, are called to walk together with everyone, in Christian and human solidarity, opening opportunities for dialogue and hope in the name of common fragility.” Yes, today let us suffer with those who suffer and share with them the pain in order set them free from the bondages and lessen their mourning and pain. I am sure, when we share the pains and sufferings of people for good, God gives us the strength to bear the pain and overcome them victoriously.

3.     Suffering – a way to lift up the other

In life, we do not suffer for oneself, we suffer for the sake of the other, so that others are uplifted in the society. Our suffering for the other is a time of upliftment which encourages and inspires to live life meaningfully and happily. That’s why today there are many who suffer and die for the sake of the others by being part of the rally, peaceful protest to promote justice, peace, truth, virtues or values of life. They are not worried about their own life, because they are interested in the common good and collective growth of the people for good. That’s what Jesus came for to lift us all up to the heavenly Father, but people did not understand. If we want to understand that our suffering is a way to lift up others, then we need to change a lot of wish-lists that we hold on to our hearts and minds so dear.

That’s what we read in the Gospel reading of the day indicates us too. The Sons of Zebedee James and john ask for seats and honors from Jesus one at the right and the other on the left. Their answer to the question of Jesus, “Can you drink the cup of suffering?” They say ‘Yes.’ But Jesus very clearly points out to them that it was not his to grant but His Father, who has already fixed to whom the seats of honor at the right and left. We know the feelings of other apostles, when heard about James and John’s mother sought for seats of honor. They were unhappy about their approach of the indignant. Thus teaches them to avoid such attitudes and approaches towards life, because such attitude only hampers the growth towards spirit of God and the spirituality that we must follow. Therefore, it is a time to change our wish-lists in order to uplift the other in the society.

The following are some of the wish-lists drawn from the gospel reading of the day to fulfill the mission of God; Give up Power and authority: Jesus tells us today ‘not to seek or desire for honors,’ powers and positions and do not ill treat people by one’s authoritative ways and means rather serve them well with love and humility. Greatness: Jesus advocates us, ‘wish to be servant than being great’; Yes, being a servant at times is painful but to be a servant marks the virtue of humility and gives us a chance to lift up others to great height of life. Last to be First: Jesus says ‘Wish to be last than first’; yes, being last is painful and no one wants to be last, because we won’t be recognized or everyone would bully you but being last to lift up others, make others best and yourself first is the generosity and good heart of noble people. Service: Jesus says, ‘Wish to serve than be served.’ Yes, we wish that others should serve us and for us to serve is painful but serve well and prove how loveable and loving one can be. We would really realize how precious and satisfactory life is when we serve one another with an attitude of love and compassion. I feel this is what our mission of God should lead to, giving up everything for Christ’s sake and enduring every pain and suffering to uplift the other to realize the mission of God is important and not my mission or my own hidden agenda. 

That’s what Pope Francis would say, “Christ transformed human suffering by making it His own and offering it to the Father as a “gift of love.” Yes my dear friends, Jesus teaches us today that by suffering he has accomplished God’s will, by suffering he has united us with God and by his suffering he has lifted us up to enjoy eternal life with God. I would like to conclude the reflection with two familiar bible verses and let us try to remember this whenever we suffer or undergo a painful experience in life. Jesus prays in the garden of Gethsemane, “Lord if it is possible take away this cup of suffering, but nevertheless not my will but your will be done,” (Lk 22: 42). Further, in St. Paul’s letter to Corinthians we read, “We are hard pressed on every side but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body” (2 Cor 4: 8-10). Yes, let us realize that whenever we suffer for good and for the goodness of people, we manifest Christ to others in a more visible manner. Let us make known Christ in all that we do or experience, I am sure we would experience that the strength and grace of God to stand firm in our faith and love of Him always.

RESPOND:

Do we consider suffering as ways to accomplish God’s will?

Do we consider that suffering for the solidarity of human family brings deeper connection and bond of relationship with God and others?

Do we consider and understand that suffering is a means and ways to uplift the other and is part of the mission work that we do for God and his people?

Let us accept suffering as part of God’s Mission work to accomplish God’s will, to bring about solidarity as God’s children and to lift up others to great heights of happiness in God. Amen.

God bless us all… Live Jesus!