Homily For Thursday Eight Week in Ordinary Time Year A, 1st June, 2023. The Memorial of St. Justin, Martyr (Happy New Month)

Readings: Sir. 42:15-25, Ps.33; Mark 10:46-52

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT THE LORD TO DO FOR YOU?

 

There is no doubt that Jesus has deep compassion for human suffering, which springs from the love of God the Father and constitutes the basis of the Church’s liberating activities. This of course, manifests in different ways in the scriptures and in the Church.

 

Little wonder in our Gospel passage today, Jesus manifested his compassion for human suffering in the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who gave us a complete lesson about faith, expressed with total simplicity in front of Christ Jesus. He had faith enough to call out to Jesus as he passed by, even when he was scolded by the people close to him, his need for Jesus was so great that he cried all the louder, Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!

 

Then Jesus asks an unusual question “what do you want me to do for you?” So even though his need was obvious, Jesus wanted him to mention it. In the same way today, Jesus is asking us: my child what do you want me to do for you? Why not like this blind beggar tell Jesus you need. Even though he knows your needs, you still need to present them before him. This blind man needed his eyesight restored, so he said aloud to Jesus, “Lord, that I may see!” And Jesus said: ‘Go your way; your faith has saved you.’

 

Here, we see a man whose faith lead him to puts off his former identity and cried in hope for restoration. Bartimaeus’s faith involves proclamation, prayer, liberation, personal encounter and following of Jesus. More so, Jesus in this healing reveals his compassion towards human sufferings and wants us to imitate Bartimaeus’s faith in our struggles and challenges of life.

 

Dear friends, our country is really passing through difficult time due to bad leaders who have put us in a helpless situations. Like Bartimaeus, we need to cry out to God for help. But, what do you really want the Lord to do for you? What is that one thing we need in this country? Let us present it before the Lord today just like Bartimaeus.

 

Let us also learn to help one another. Do we know people who are helpless and need some help, how strong is our compassion towards them? Let us look at them for a moment and imagine Jesus looking at them. How does he see them? Why not in faith present our needs before Jesus who is willing and ready to help us.

 

So, like Jesus, each one of us are called today to reach out to people around us who are really in need of our assistance. This includes our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues and others who we encounter in life. The truth is that, you may be the only person who can brings the healing and compassion of Jesus into their lives today.

 

Also, we are called to remain steadfast in the midst of this ugly situations and maintain peaceful coexistence with one another, just like St. Justin whose memorial we celebrate today. For he was known for his desire to establish a peaceful relationship between the Church and the state. For through his writings, he tried to convince Emperor Marcus Aurelius to end the persecution of Christians by the Roman state which lead to his martyrdom with some of his followers in the year 165.

 

Today however, St. Justin no doubt, has shown us through his works and interactions, with pagan philosophers and even with the Emperor, that it is indeed possible to be fully faithful and committed to God, while living in harmony as a law-abiding citizens of the community and the state even in the midst of persecutions and operations as we experience in our societies today.

 

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, as we present our needs before you today, through the intercession of St. Justin, may we experience once again your compassionate love and grant our hearts desire according to your Holy will, we ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Wishing you God’s favour and blessings this New Month.