Healing their Hearts

Homily for September 9, 2019 | Pink Sister's Tagaytay City

INTRODUCTION

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Jesus reminds us today that He is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Gospel narrates the story of the healing of the man with withered hand, and how the Pharisees hardened their hearts. The first reading invites us to behold the richness of the wisdom of God, which is Christ Himself, and the values of the Kingdom which he proclaimed both to the Gentiles and to the Jews. We honor today a man who championed works of mercy, St. Peter Claver. He was known as a passionate advocate of the poor and the downtrodden.

For the many times we refused to understand and failed to recognise human suffering, let us beg the Lord for his pardon and mercy.

HOMILY

Our Gospel today speaks of Jesus’ intention of inclusive restoration for the man with paralysed hand, and the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law themselves. We have heard so many times that Jesus has done many similar miracles of healing people with disabilities: he cured the sick, the lepers, the blind, the lame. He drove away demons, and resurrected dead people. He did all these out of Mercy and Compassion. Most often he was moved with pity for the unfortunate circumstances these people had to endure. The sick, the ill, the lepers, the blind. All these have been ostracised by the society and was excluded from communal participation and acceptance because they are sinful and disabled.

Today the Gospel tells us that Jesus also seeks restoration of his persecutors, the teachers of the Law and the Pharisees. If we look at it nakedly, these people are his enemies; hatching plans to put him to death. But the Lord seeks to restore them into the new Order he was sent to proclaim by healing their hearts of hatred, pride and murder. Jesus wants to invite the Pharisees to communion with him by educating them of what is of value in the scenario: On the Sabbath, should we do good? Or should we do harm? Should we save life? Or should we destroy it? Should the very institution promulgated to safeguard the well-being of human beings be the institution that authorise the neglect of actual human suffering, and block aids to alleviate it?

With the question of Jesus, he was hoping to restore them to the mindset of the Kingdom, to the attitude of the Children of God. In the words of Paul, Jesus was warning them and teaching them of true wisdom true wisdom, aiming to make everyone perfect. Jesus was warning and teaching the Pharisees. He was inviting them for relationship. He was inviting them to love.

With this Gospel, Jesus is inviting us to:

1. To make love our priority, always.

2.To harden not our hearts when we hear His voice speaking in the

face of suffering.

3. To be men and women of discernment.