Homily for the Week of February 5, 2012

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B 2012
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Mark 1:29-39


In a program that trains nurses to work in a parish setting, a panel of speakers was asked, “What do you see as the difference between ‘healing’ a person and ‘curing’ a person?” A doctor on the panel immediately responded, “Medicine can cure an illness, but it might not be able to heal the person.” A priest on the panel immediately picked up on the statement saying, “Faith can heal a person, but it might not be able to cure the illness.” To cure someone usually means to end an illness. Healing is not about illness. It is about the person. People need healing in many ways beyond merely curing an illness. Although Jesus did cure some people, he really came to heal us. Healing is not about becoming physically well, it is about being made whole.


Mark’s Gospel, from which we will reading most weekends of this year, is short compared to the other Gospels. We have just heard in a few short sentences about Jesus and Peter's mother in law who was sick with a fever. This is a story about healing, not curing. The Bible says he cured her, but He did more than just take care of a cold. Mark says that Jesus “grasped her hand, and helped her up.” This is the phrase used when Jesus raised a person from the dead. Mark is telling us that this was a serious illness, and some probably already thought of her as dead. With such a cure, it is startling that, instead of rejoicing, the mother-in-law immediately waited on Jesus and the others present.


She got up and ministered to those present. Jesus healed this woman in a way that restored her so that she could serve God. Reconnected to God’s service, she was made whole. Jesus’ role, however, was not to cure; it was to preach a new way of living, and restore us to it. Our role, like that of Peter’s mother-in-law, is to serve the Kingdom and thus be whole.


On the other hand if you were carefully listening to the first reading you must have said to yourself: Poor old Job. Job called life on earth a drudgery. But his life seemed even worse than that. He complained: I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted me. His insomnia sounded worse that any we might have known. He reports, the nigh drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. His days come to an end without hope. He complains: I will never see happiness again.


The Book of Job is a story. Job was a good man. Among his many blessings were his wife and children, a lot of cattle, and much land. These were outward signs of a special relationship with God. But Job's life turned tragic for no reason known to him. Ultimately Job loses his wife and family, his cattle, lands and most of his friends. Even those friends who stayed close to Job blamed him for his misfortune, saying he must have sinned in some manner to bring such a catastrophe upon himself.


Job is alone. Job has become utterly dependent on others for his survival. Like many people today who lose their job, each day he would wait in the marketplace to be hired. In the Mediterranean world it was considered shameful to ask someone for a job. You had to wait until asked, and Job felt depressed while knowing that no one would hire him. Having nothing and having been reduced to begging, Job now considered life itself as nothing but drudgery.


Jobs suffering is not the final word. Even were his troubles not ended happily with his family, he would still be called to be thankful. This kind of trust and faith is difficult for many of us to understand. Job did not give in to despair. If you were to read more of the Book of Job you would find he did come out of his despair. He finally mentions that he knows that God can do all things. He tells God that he is sorry for not trusting in him.


God does not answer Job's questions about suffering. But Job was satisfied with God's answers. Job's heart told him to trust in God's love even when his mind couldn't understand the mystery of suffering. God is good, just, loving, and merciful. Often things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. God does heal the broken hearted. Often we need to take the time to find out what is just around the corner. When we do, God takes our hands and lifts us up.


Does it seem astonishing that this bleak picture is followed immediately by our psalm that invites us to Praise the Lord, who heals the broken-hearted? We prayed in the Psalm that God heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds. This is obviously not a God unaware of suffering. This wise God is the God of justice. God gives to each of us what we deserve.


The good news about Mark's Gospel and the story of Job is that we learn that God knows us for who and what we are. And because of this God will always give us the right choices and the right path to follow. Sometimes things happen for no reason. God is not sitting in heaven sending us bad things. Suffering enters our life in many different ways.


Life can be difficult, not because God made it so. Life is difficult because life is difficult. We don't live in an ideal world where every problem is resolved in less than sixty seconds. where you don't have homework, where everyone is easy to get along with. The people who came knocking at Peter's door looking for Jesus wanted an instant cure for their problems. Jesus knew that these things take time, yet he responded in love. Taking time to pray and place ourselves in God's presence is one of the many important actions we witness and follow through Jesus' good example. St. Therese of Lisieux wrote: OUR LORD DOES NOT LOOK SO MUCH AT THE GREATNESS OR OUR ACTIONS, NOR EVEN AT THEIR DIFFICULTY, BUT AT THE LOVE WITH WHICH WE DO THEM.