Fifth Sunday in Ordinary time
Job 7: 1-4, 6-7;
1 Corinthians 9: 16-19, 22-23;
Mark 1: 29-39;
What's the most important and frequently-used word in a child's vocabulary? Why. Such a small word; but we all begin questioning as soon as we're able to speak, and perhaps the biggest "why" of all is the subject of today's first reading from the Book of Job - "Why suffering?"
When Jesus began His public ministry. He went round the towns, preaching life-giving news, and healing the sick. (Why did He come ...) Those with physical ailments thronged to Him, and those with mental illness - with "devils" in them, as St. Mark puts it - were also healed, made well, inspired by the preaching of this young man from Nazareth.
There's no apparent reason for suffering - even Jesus fails to explain it, although what He does for others offers them a way through it. By physically reaching out to those who crowded round Him, He preached a powerful message about caring and valuing vulnerable, less able people. They weren't always cured of their ailments, but simply experiencing His message brought them comfort - why else did they continue to crowd round Him and seek His company?
We all have our own demons to face, taunting and tempting us. We're not physically possessed .. nor do we need exorcism, but everyday, we face our own weaknesses, and struggle in order not to allow them to overcome us. Possibly the biggest temptation of all is disillusionment, even despair (John Henry Newman), whenever we're confronted with suffering, either in our own life, or in the life of someone we love. It can't be rationalised or explained away; it can't be settled like a bad debt, and there's no use in burying our heads in the sand and pretending it doesn't exist. It remains, and challenges whatever faith we have in God and His goodness.
We won't always be able to cure, or even alleviate our physical or mental pain, or that of others. But we can still manage to bring them a measure of inner peace, calm and even joy, if they perceive Christ at work in us. By our lives, we can witness the faith we profess with our lips - doing what we claim to be - and so preaching a more eloquent sermon simply by being honest, truthful, just or forgiving.
God knows us inside and out; even our hateful fantasies, our pettiness, our meanness. We can open up that darker side of ourselves to Him and subject it to the healing light of His grace. Jesus' mission was indeed to heal, but not to be seen only as a wonder-worker. That healing was accomplished on His cross of suffering. His response was to do more than simply ask why?
Now He calls us to engage actively, by proclaiming the nearness of His Kingdom through lives of loving - and sometimes painful - service. So let's make sure that the lives we lead are in tune with the faith we profess with our lips. "Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom"