(Homily for February 11, 2017).
Sin is a
deliberate act of the will whether by omission or commission in thoughts, words
or deeds that out rightly contravenes the laws of God. Sin is a refusal on the
part of man to acknowledge the supremacy of God. Every sin carries a mark of
rebellion, a mark of mistrust in God as the one on whom our life depends. That
is why for every sin, there is a direct and immediate punishment both for
direct offenders as well as those who aid and abet the sin. This is the message
behind our first reading this morning.
When God
said that by eating of the tree, Adam and Eve would die, he was not telling a
lie. After they sinned, they actually died; it was a death to innocence and a
death to the bliss of Eden. Each time we sin, something dies inside of us and
the more we sin, the further we pull ourselves away from God. Hunger and
suffering in our world today is a direct consequence of sin at the beginning.
Nonetheless, in Jesus Christ, we come to realize that all hope is not yet lost.
People came to spend time with Jesus and he could see they were hungry
physically and he decided to feed them miraculously with just seven loaves and
few fishes. Through the act of sharing, over four thousand able-bodied men not
counting women and children were fed.
There is
more joy in serving God with a clean heart than in compromising his decrees and
commandments. Charity is a magical act, it not only multiplies the little you
have, it also covers a multitude of sin.
Today is
the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. In 1844 a baby girl named Bernadette
Soubirous was born. Bernadette’s family was very poor, and Bernadette was
responsible for looking after and caring for her brothers and sisters. The only
education Bernadette received was the Catholic teachings which she studied
faithfully in the evenings. At the age
of 13, Bernadette was preparing for her First Holy Communion. One of Bernadette’s chores was to collect
wood for the fire. On a cold day in
February 1858, Bernadette and 2 companions headed off to the Gave River to
collect pieces of wood. The 2 companions ran ahead and left Bernadette
struggling to keep up. As Bernadette was taking off her shoes to make her way
through the river, she was startled by a peculiar wind and rustling sound.
Bernadette looked up towards the grotto and
the caves on the riverbank. Near the opening of the grotto, Bernadette glanced
and noticed the cave was suddenly filled with golden light. Lifting up her
eyes, she saw a lady of great beauty, dressed in a pure white robe with a blue
sash, a veil over her head, a rosary clasped in her hands and yellow roses at
her feet. Bernadette rubbed her eyes. What a beautiful lady! But where did she
come from? And what was she doing here?
The
beautiful lady smiled at Bernadette and asked her to say her rosary. Bernadette said her prayers and when she was
finished she looked up, the lady had vanished. Bernadette caught up to her 2
friends and discovered that they were upset with her. What have you been doing?
Playing in the river, while we are out here collecting wood? Bernadette told
them about the vision she had just witnessed. The girls told Bernadette she was
silly and probably just seeing things.
Bernadette
felt drawn to the grotto and returned there on the next Sunday. Again Bernadette
saw the beautiful lady. The third time Bernadette went to the grotto, the lady
spoke to her. The beautiful lady asked Bernadette to come here every day for
fifteen days. She said that she wanted Bernadette to tell the priests to build
a chapel there. She told her to drink
water from the stream. The lady also told Bernadette to pray for the conversion
of sinners. Bernadette followed the
requests.
On March
25, the Lady finally told Bernadette that she was Mary, the mother of Jesus,
and that her purpose in appearing to Bernadette was to warn her to pray and
make sacrifices for sinners. The miracles of body and soul performed at Lourdes
are the proof that this message was a true warning from the queen of heaven to
her children and that she was deeply interested in their welfare.
Bernadette’s
daily visits to the grotto caused quite a stir in the countryside. Crowds of
people began to gather and watch Bernadette as she examined the cave and
obediently did the things the lady asked of her. They watched Bernadette scrape away soil
beside the grotto until a spring of water started to trickle out. Would you believe this spring still provides
27,000 gallons of water everyday! This is the sacred Lourdes water which heals
all! At first, the priests, the town’s
folk, and the families doubted Bernadette’s visions and the purpose in her
activities. But Bernadette was stubborn
and determined to follow Mary’s plans for her. Eventually everyone did believe
Bernadette and the grotto at Lourdes became a place of worship and the Lourdes
holy water was sacred for performing miracles.
At the age
of 22, Bernadette became a nun and devoted her life to Mary, to praying for the
conversion of sinners and to the service of God. Bernadette died on April 16, 1879, at the age
of 36. She will be remembered for believing in the greater glory of God as she
was faithful to her mission, she was humble in glory and she was valiant in her
sufferings. Today, Lourdes remains one of
the most frequented Christian shrines in the world. More than 3 million visitors, pilgrims and
tourists come each year to the Grotto of Massabielle, where the Virgin Mary
appeared to Bernadette 18 times in 1858.
Let us
Pray: Lord Jesus, I believe in you, heal me of my sickness be it physical or
spiritual. Amen.
Happy Weekend. Be Happy. Live
Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Saturday of the 5th Week in
Ordinary Time. Bible Study: Genesis 3:9-24 and Mark 8:1-10).
Fr. Abu.
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