Homily for September 18, 2018
_“He came and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.” *(Luke 7:14-15)*_
Yesterday, we saw how Jesus spoke the word from a distance and the slave of the Centurion instantly became well. The Centurion’s Faith has made us reach the conclusion that Jesus is a Commander whose voice is obeyed by all of creation just as soldiers obey the voice of their Army Commandant. Today, we come to realise that Jesus is not only the Commander-in-chief of the living things in this universe, He is also the Commander-in-chief of the dead as well.
A young man had died, he was the only son of his mother and she was a widow. Jesus did not demand any expression of Faith from the woman. The look on her face was all Jesus needed to see before knowing exactly what to do. Sometimes, merely LOOKING at the face of God is enough prayer! Luke 7:13 reads: “And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, ‘Do not weep.’”
What is quite striking about this encounter is that Jesus spoke to the dead man as one would speak to someone who is fully awake. Jesus did not even raise his voice as he did in the case of Lazarus. Jesus did not even bother to drive away those who were already mourning and wailing, those who lacked faith, as He did in the case of Jairus’ daughter to whom he simply said: “Talitha Cumi.”
The one important lesson we must learn from this encounter is that WE ARE MORE CONNECTED THAN WE THINK. How was the dead man able to hear and understand the command of Jesus? Simply because the dead like the rest of us alive are connected to and indeed, part of the one Body of Christ. This is exactly the point St. Paul wants us to understand in today’s first reading: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:27.
If death is not strong enough to pull a person away from listening to Christ, then why do we often assume we are separate from one another? Why should there be fights, divisions and quarrels among us? The moment we understand we are all part of the one body whether dead or alive, the death of a person no longer leaves us hopeless and paralysed anymore. Again, knowing we are one body made up of different parts helps reduce and eliminate the tension that arises amongst us as a result of unhealthy competitions.
Just as the body is made up of different parts so also is the body of Christ in whom we live, move and exist. Some of us are eyes, some are nose, some are ears; some are tongues and so on. We cannot all be eyes, neither can we all be gifted as ears. We are not all Apostles, nor Prophets, nor Teachers, nor Musicians etc. St. Paul says, we cannot all work miracles, neither do we all have the gift of speaking or interpreting tongues.
Knowing that we are one should teach us to encourage the gifts and talents of others rather than engage in PHDs. (Pull-Him-Down strategies). Notice that the ear is never jealous of the nose because of its ability to smell neither do we see the eye trying to learn how to chew food because all the sweet food come in through the mouth.
When we quarrel with each other, there is a tendency for us to assume we can just be on our own, that we can survive without this person or that person forever but the truth is that what unites us is greater than what pulls us apart. Not even death pulls us apart from each other. Some say this world is a small place. In reality, it is even smaller than we think: we are all one body!
Let us pray: Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your power over life and death and teach me to truly love and accommodate others. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study: 1st Corinthians 12:12-31, Psalm 100:1-5, and Luke 7:11-17)
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