5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B by Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior

Read: 1st Reading: Job 7:1-4.6-7/Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 147:1-2.3-4.5-6 (R. 3a) 2nd Reading: I Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23 /Gospel Acclamation: Mt.8:17/Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

Theme: JESUS IS THE ANSWER TO SUFFERING

We witness many existential problems in the world in which we live. By day, we face the hustle and bustle, the drudgery of making a livelihood. By night, we are challenged by both physical and spiritual security threats of kidnapping, armed-robbery and witchcraft. We are bogged down by disease, pandemics, poverty, starvation, corruption, violence, unemployment, retrenchment, racism social injustices and environmental degradation. Suffering abounds everywhere. It is either selfinflicted (by our own choices) or comes to us as existential and natural reality. It is created by evil desires and actions, the devil, human error and bad governance which leads to socio-economic problems. The problem of evil is age-old; and evil is the privation of good. In the face of these burdens, our minds turn to questions, and we ask many ‘whys’! Why me? Why is the world treating me this way? Why is my family facing a lot of challenges? Why COVID-19? Why political instability? Why poverty? Why this and why that? The bell of “whys” rings unabated. It is from this context that our liturgical readings today call us to turn to Jesus, the answer to our sufferings!

In the first reading, Job bemoans his agonizing suffering and intersperses it with questions about the human condition. He yearns for answers and it seems not even one comes to his mind. He queries: “Has not man hard service upon earth, and are not his days like the days of a hireling?” (Job 7:1). He then compares himself to a slave and a hireling whose expected wages are but a mirage: “Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hireling who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me…My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and come to their end without hope. Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good” (Job 7:2-3, 6-7). So, in the midst of excruciating pain, even the righteous Job painted a gloomy picture about life, and that is what we also do in our ‘desert’ experiences and ‘dry’ moments, when everything seems to be going from bad to worst. Hence, sometimes, it is in human nature to be pessimistic about life and to lose hope.

Notwithstanding the above scenario, the Psalmist acknowledges God’s power, goodness and love for his creatures, and therefore, is optimistic and finds consolation in God. He says of God “He brings back Israel’s exiles; he heals the broken-hearted; he binds up all their wounds. The lord lifts up the lowly; he casts down the wicked to the ground” (Ps.147:2, 3 and 6). To show that these are not mere words, Jesus, who is God in person, actualizes these attributes when in the Gospel, he brings relief not only to Peter’s mother-in-law, but also to all who are suffering from one form of ailment or another, be it physical or spiritual. Hence, in Jesus, we see a God who is interested in what happens to his children. Christ feels for us because, like us, he has experienced suffering, if not the worst of all pains, by his crucifixion. Our situations touch God deeply. As a compassionate and loving father, he does not interfere with our freedoms (which many a time leads us to make wrong choices and suffer thereof), yet, he is so concerned that he cannot be absent from our particular situations and problems. He is Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’!

Through preaching the Good news of salvation and prayer, Jesus is able to bring help, healing and restoration to people. He himself prayed with tears and cries in moments of suffering and he found peace (cf. Heb. 5:7-9). St. Paul discovers this fact, imitates Jesus’ footsteps, and makes a personal and life-long commitment to preach the Gospel and to undertake a life of prayer. He says: “Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (I Cor. 9: 16). Against the background of turning the Gospel into a money-making venture, a phenomenon which is rampant in our contemporary world, and which is done with unbridled impunity, St. Paul, again proclaims: “… That in my preaching I may make the Gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the Gospel” (I Cor. 9: 18). His goal being from a pure motive, he says again: “For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. I do it for the sake of the Gospel, that I might share in its blessings” (I Cor. 9:19, 23). Which blessings is Paul talking about if not eternal life in Christ, perfection, peace and happiness?

Job’s condition of life is reflective of our own daily struggles as a people and as individuals: the frustrations, disappointments, lack of opportunities, receding economy, unemployment, poverty and starvation, ailing health, moral and social decadence, lack of reverence for the dignity and sanctity of human life, religious bigotry, conflicts and violence. It is not uncommon to see all these play out with frequency and increment. Many ask: what is wrong with the world, with politics and with us? We try to find answers, but are clueless sometimes and therefore, are left in confusion and doubts. We become restless and the only solution is to turn to Jesus. Remember what St. Augustine of Hippo teaches: Our hearts are restless until they rest in God! Like Jesus and Paul, let us resort to the Word of God for help and healing. In the word of God, there is power, anointing and restoration. David discovered this when he said: “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Ps. 119:11, 105). He adds: “By your word, give me life” (Ps. 119:105). “The law of the lord is perfect; it gives life to the soul. The word of the Lord is trustworthy; it gives wisdom to the simple” (Ps. 19:7). Often times, we are very busy in life such that, we forget the owner of life. The irony of life is that we go to do the work of the master and forget the master of the work! How much time do we spend with God in his word, prayer and the sacraments? Do we allow God’s word to influence and improve our lives and choices? Do we meditate on God’s word daily (cf. Ps.1)?

Dearly Beloved, suffering is real and painful, but it is part of life. Adults suffer as well as children. All people suffer although, we suffer differently and varyingly! Relationships hurt, friends betray, marriages break, families misunderstand, haters hate, enemies encompass, sickness abounds, poverty surrounds, pockets run dry, plans fail, and death comes, but Jesus never fails! He endures forever! He is the answer to suffering because he went through the worse suffering on the cross and was able to overcome it. All who believe in him can also conquer suffering with peace of mind and serenity of heart. Remember what he says: “In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage, I have conquered the world” (Jn. 16:33). Although suffering seems to steal our joy, the joy of the Lord is our strength! With Jesus, suffering becomes meaningful, redemptive and perfecting. With Jesus in the boat of life, we shall smile at the storm! Let us align our problems with the passion of Christ and we will find rest for our souls. May the peace of Christ be with us all! Happy Sunday and may God bless us! Remember:

 # Jesus-Is-The-Answer-To-Suffering

By Rev. Fr. Lucas Binnah Junior, C.S.Sp

Sharing is caring!