Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The first reading from Job is not a very cheery one (7:1-4, 6-7). We experience many different kinds of emotions. We can experience many of these emotions in a given day, depending on the situation. In the presence of a loved one, we may experience joy. Although, we can also experience anger if that loved one has done something or said something to make us angry. Hopefully, the underlying feeling is love. Love helps us get through the temporary anger so that we will be able to forgive and be reconciled. Then hopefully, we can quickly return to feeling joy again being in the presence of our loved one.
Some of these emotions may be related to how we feel physically. If we are suffering and in pain, then it can be difficult to feel joy or happiness. A physical ailment has the ability to drag us down. It can make it feel as if a dark cloud has come upon us. Things may seem a little dark to extremely dark depending on the seriousness of the ailment.
Some of these emotions may be related to situations in our lives. Financial problems, unemployment, trouble at work or school may cause anxiety, depression, or other ailments. These types of problems can drag us down too. That dark cloud remains upon us. The future may appear very troubling. We may not want to face the future at all because of what we are experiencing at the present time. We may toss and turn all night without getting any sleep.
In our first reading, Job must have felt exactly like this – life is a drudgery. His days seemed like they were filled with misery. He couldn’t sleep at night because his concerns kept him awake. He did not experience any hope that his situation would change, and he felt that he would not ever feel happiness again. Have you ever felt like that, maybe at least one time in your life? The reading from Job reminds us that human beings have been suffering from these kinds of troubles since the beginning. Every person in every generation has felt these things.
When we have troubles like these, those dark clouds that seem to surround us may also obscure our thoughts of anything else. We tend to be focused only on our ailments or problems. Our whole life may seem to be these ailments or problems, and we may feel like there is nothing else in the world that matters.
This is the kind of world that Jesus entered. God became flesh and entered right into the darkness and suffering. God was not above everything watching what was going on with us. No, God entered right into the mess. Jesus wants us to know that this does not have to be the outcome of human existence. God wants to transform human existence from one of suffering and death to one of good health and everlasting life.
We see that this was what Jesus was doing in today’s Gospel reading (Mk 1:29-39). Jesus came to bring healing and wholeness to humanity. He cured Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. She was incapacitated by it. Jesus touched her and the fever left her immediately. She was instantly healthy again and able to resume her former duties. Word spread fast about the healing powers of Jesus. By nightfall, there was a numerous amount of people bringing the ill and the possessed to Jesus to be healed. In the Gospel reading it says that “they brought to him all who were ill or possessed.” It also says that Jesus “cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons.”
Why didn’t Jesus heal them all? From the Scripture it just says that he healed many. It could be that some of them didn’t receive healing because of a lack of faith. We know from Scripture that Jesus did not cure many in His hometown because of their lack of faith. Faith in Jesus is a primary factor in the healing process.
A second reason may be that not everybody was meant to be cured. We know that God doesn’t always grant physical healing to everyone. Some people, despite a great amount of prayer and medical treatments, are not healed. When this happens, do we still have faith in Jesus despite not being healed? I know many people get angry at God because they are not granted physical healing. Some may think, “If God is all-powerful, then why doesn’t He heal me?” We may not ever know the full reason why God does not grant physical healing to some people.
One reason that is definitely sure is that, ultimately, we are not meant for this world. Our bodies begin to fail as we get older, some sooner than later. Eventually, they give out completely and we die. Nobody gets out of this world alive. Yet, while we are living God grants healing to some to show that God is here with us. He is in our presence, and these physical healings are proof that God is active in our lives. Aren’t we all amazed at a miracle? We have had some people here at Sacred Heart Parish that have been healed of serious illnesses. Some have had stage 4 cancer. We prayed over them at church. The next time that they went to their doctor, the cancer was gone. The medical professionals had deemed them terminally ill. Yet, God healed them and restored them to good health. These are proofs that God has the power over illness, just as we heard in the Gospel reading. Jesus touched the mother-in-law of Simon, and the fever left her immediately. God has the power to control creation with all its defects and bring about healing and wholeness.
Jesus was giving the people hope. God was now in their midst, as He had promised. God was proving that He was in their midst by forgiving sins, curing various illnesses, and casting out demons. The forces of darkness and disease no longer had the final word. God has the final word; and that word is eternal life for those that have faith and trust in Him.
There may be some people here that have been healed of a life-threatening illness. Although many people might attribute the healing to medical science; it is God who is the Healer. It is through His grace that humans are making so many wonderful advances in medical science. However, God is the Healer. These people that have been healed are signs to us that God is still with us. God still has the power today to bring healing if it is His will. These healings point toward the perfect health and everlasting life that we will enjoy one day in heaven. These healings give us hope that God will never abandon us. He is always with us. He is active in our lives and will take care of us no matter what.
There may also be some people here that have tried everything to be healed, including much prayer. Yet, they may still be suffering. To them, it may seem like the dark cloud is still there. Some may say, “I wish I was the one that God chose to heal, rather than the one that He didn’t.” When this happens, do we still have faith that God is with us despite the lack of a physical healing? The cross of suffering may be heavy for some. Do we still believe that Jesus is walking beside us helping us carry our cross?
This reminds me of Fr. Jim Lee, the Pastor at St. Michael Parish in Olympia. Many people know that Fr. Jim has ALS. He is getting weaker and weaker. A couple of weeks ago, Fr. Jim was being interviewed on Sacred Heart radio by Deacon Eric Paige. Fr. Jim said that one day he was praying before the Blessed Sacrament. He was pouring out his heart to the Lord. “Why do I have this illness? Why am I not being healed? What is going to happen to my ministry?” Fr. Jim said that the Lord spoke to his heart, and said, “I am blessing you through this illness.” Fr. Jim realized that the Lord was calling him to be one with Him in His suffering. Fr. Jim was being blessed to join Jesus in His suffering and crucifixion. Fr. Jim started seeing his illness as a blessing rather than a curse. It changed his whole outlook on his illness.
Jesus Himself faced much suffering. His heavenly Father did not grant that Jesus be relieved of His suffering; rather, Jesus’ own suffering was not healed in this life. His suffering led to death. It was not until the next life – in His resurrection – that Jesus was healed and became whole again. Because Jesus suffered and died, God raised Him up and gave Him a glorified body and exalted Him. The suffering of Jesus shows us that not everybody will experience complete healing in this life. However, we can trust that everyone that has faith, and places their lives in the hands of God will experience complete healing in the next life. God promises this. Jesus proved that this is true. Do we believe this?
We pray: Jesus, help us to grow in our faith and trust in your loving providence. You trusted completely in your heavenly Father’s providence. Help us to have that kind of faith and trust so that we may move forward with confidence that you are always at our side in every circumstance that life will bring us. Amen.
