5th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily
Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (3a)
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-3
Mark 1:29-39
“Job spoke saying: Is not man’s life on earth a drudgery?…I shall not see happiness again.”
These are the words that begin and end today’s first reading. Job is experiencing a terrible time in his life. He had been a rich man with much livestock and wealth. He had a great family. He had good health. That is, until the devil took it away from him. The devil wanted to prove that Job’s faith was superficial. He thought that Job only praised the Lord because of the riches and family he had.
Job had much to praise the Lord for but when it was taken away, he lamented. His lamenting was understandable but his faith did not end. He continued to have faith in God.
What sufferings do you face? Does it bring you unhappiness? Does your life seem like a drudgery?
In today’s world suffering is seen as something to be avoided. We seek relief like the “slave who longs for the shade.” Perhaps we are like the “hireling who waits for his wages.” We just want our wages so we can go and enjoy life.
Do you seek earthly pleasure as your greatest joy? Does your quest for pleasure stop you from accepting suffering for the glory of God? When physical pleasure is one’s guiding force in life, we call it “hedonism.”
Do you need to reorient your priorities? Lent begins in 10 days. Now might be the perfect time to make some changes in your life.
In our first reading, we hear lamenting. In turn, our responsorial psalm praises God. “The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem.” Worldly ways had led to the destruction of Jerusalem. The Lord rebuilt it. What do you need the Lord to rebuild in your life? As Lent begins next week, what do you need to do to let the Lord rebuild your life?
The Lord “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” What is broken in your heart that needs healing from the Lord? What wounds do you that you need to hand over to the Lord as we begin Lent next week?
The psalm also speaks of how the Lord sustains the lowly. What sufferings do you face in your life? In what way do you need the Lord to help sustain you through your sufferings?
When Simon’s mother-in-law laid ill with a fever, they told Jesus about her. They handed her over to Jesus in prayer. And Jesus took care of her.
In this case, she was healed. Job was not immediately healed when he lamented his drudgery to the Lord. What the Lord did for Job was to walk with him, at times even carrying him through his suffering.
Are you willing to accept your sufferings for the glory of our Lord?
They brought all “who were ill or possessed” to him and He took care of them. The Lord will not abandon us. He walks with us.
After healing those brought to him that day, what did Jesus do? He “went off to a deserted place, where he prayed.”
Jesus is the Son of God. If He took the time to pray, all the more do we need to take the time to pray. He went off to pray often. We need to pray often. Is the Lord calling you to more time in prayer this Lent? It might be more prayer at home. Or perhaps the Lord is inviting you to attend Mass more regularly? If you already attend Sundays regularly, how about daily Mass or Adoration?
When the people found Jesus again, He said He must go on to the nearby towns so that He could fulfill the purpose He came for, to preach. In order for his preaching to change the world, someone had to be listening.
When you pray, do you do all the talking? If so, then don’t blame Jesus for how things turn out. If you want life to be better, then you need to listen to Jesus when you pray.
I will end by asking you again, what do you need to change in your life.