Homily Fourteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time/ Mt. 9:32-38 (We are Blessed with a Shepherd)

Homily Fourteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time/ Mt. 9:32-38 (We are Blessed with a Shepherd)

We are told in the Gospel that Jesus was moved with pity when he saw the crowds that gathered about him looking for Gospel teaching.  The people had been abandoned by their religious leaders.

The word that is used for pity by Matthew has a Greek word at its root which is splagchna. This is the word for bowels. In other words, Jesus is moved to his depths of his being with concern for the people who were in front of him that were not receiving helpful teaching.

The scribes and Pharisees had a certain type of religion that they espoused.  The religion revolved around proclaiming religious law.  The law they taught about was a law that could never be followed flawlessly.  God was always displeased in their view so the people were always made to feel embarrassed because they could never measure up to what holy people were supposed to be.

The Pharisees engaged those who might have a chance at keeping the law.  Usually, these people were the wealthy who did not have to be distracted by a lot of menial tasks. They could try to keep the minutia of the law.

The vast majority of the people were viewed as ill-educated backward people who could not possibly keep the laws of purity, etc. because they were engaged in occupations which caused them to have to do hard physical labor all day long. They were getting down and dirty. Most people were just trying to survive in their poverty. 

The anawim (simple believers) were the people Jesus was trying to minister to.  He encouraged such people. He spoke about the mercy of God.  He assured them that their sins were forgiven.  He constantly spoke of God’s love for them.  He lifted the spirits of those who were struggling to make it day to day.  The scribes were not concerned about the lowly.  Jesus was a good shepherd invested in his time in the people everyone else had cast aside.  Jesus wants to lift our spirits today.

Reflection Questions:

1. Jesus believed that we are to seek out the lost.   Who is lost in my life right now?

2. When times are tough (like they are right now) it is not a moment to give up our faith, but it is a time to practice our faith.  How have I changed my faith practice for the better the last few months?

Dear Parishioners,

          When we wake in the morning how do we feel these days?  For many of us, our most negative thoughts happen first thing in the morning.  Where is our life going now? There is a lot of uncertainty.  We can wake and lay in bed giving into our negative thoughts or we can get moving and meet the challenges of the day.  Our first activity of the day is to make our feet hit the floor. It is an act of faith.

          The next move of the day, as one person suggested, is that we have a cup of coffee with God.  If we discuss our day with the Lord before it starts it probably will be a better day.  Let’s try to open the day right this week and maybe things will not seem so bleak.  When I pray over my day at dawn things go much better. When I just launch into the day without praying things fall apart in a hurry.

          May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.

          Fr. Mark