SUNDAY FEBRUARY 4, 2024
SUNDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR B
Job 7: 1-4.6-7
1 Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23
Mark 1:29-39
JESUS POWER IN CONFRONTING AND OVERCOMING HUMAN SUFFERINGS, DIFFICULTIES AND EVILS
Man’s existence on the earth has moments of tensions, hardships, sufferings, difficulties and worries. How can we interprete the experience of suffering and overcome it ? Or is it an integral part of man’s existence that is unconquerable? Is man living on borrowed time without succour and happiness. Where can man find lasting happiness and resolve these periods of hardship, sufferings and pains?
The first reading of today from the book of Job poses the question as found above. Job is familiar with suffering and its influence in man’s life. The thoughts and questions posed by Job tends to portray a gloomy or rather a pessimistically irredeemable picture of man as being confronted by sufferings perpetually. Job inquires, saying, “Has not man a hard service upon earth, and are not his days like the days of a hireling? Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hireling who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness, and nights of misery are apportioned to me. When I lie down I say, ‘When shall I arise? “
The experience of man’s suffering is one that perplexes and puts alot of questions on the place of God and why God allows such evil to inflict so hard on human existence. It questions the existence of evil in the world and particularly in the life of man.
Again, Job makes a pessimistic case of consigning to man an irredeemable situation when he concludes saying, “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good.” Such is a recourse to fate, an abandonment of self to chance and blind force and a declaration of the world and man’s existence as mere suffering, nothingness and unnecessary. Living life becomes sorrowful and life itself is seen as meaningless, worthless and utterly unnecessary or greatly burdensome.
But Job was invariably making a case to the meaningfulness of life, the value of life and worth in life. In this passage, it may seem to be viewing life as meaningless but in the entire work of Job, his idea is to place suffering, difficulties in life and human experience of it in context. That man’s life becomes valueless, worthless and incontrovertible difficult without God and living apart from God. Meaning that our lives find meaning only in relation with God.
In the gospel, we see the GOOD NEWS. That Jesus came into his public ministry by bringing the sick to good health, chasing and casting away evil spirits, teaching about God’s place in our life and success in life, and restoring man to wholeness and good health and promising man eternal life and salvation after this earthly sojourn.
So, beginning with his disciples, by coming into the house of Peter, Jesus healed the mother in law of Peter who was ill, a sign of suffering, difficulty of life and evil confronting man. Same he did to all who came with health issues. He even had powers over unclean spirits and cast them out.
There was restoration of wholeness, confidence and calm in man at the presence of Jesus. The whole sufferings of man fizzles out in Jesus Christ. Jesus confronted the problems of man’s discomfort, the evil tormenting man and defeated them all. He is therefore acclaimed the redeemer of man. The message of salvation is then preached and must be made known to all that Jesus has come to redeem or rather, sent by the God who made all things to rescue, redeem and solve once and for all. So that the problems confronting, and destroying man’s existence, happiness and joy is known and resolved in Christ Jesus.
In the second reading, it becomes imperative for Paul to preach this gospel. It is burden laid upon him as well as all of us who believe in Jesus, that life is full, better, fulfilled and successful only when we submit and surrender our lives into the powers of Jesus, the redeemer. This is what Saint Paul is saying. This is the preaching we must take to the ends of the world. And this is the message that everyone needs to proclaim, have, hold and give to others so that life can be better and meaningful. This is the greatest message of all times that must demand our attentions and our all. Because by preaching it, we gain freedom and offer man salvation which has eluded him.
It is therefore a necessity for us and indeed every living person who wants to pull man out of suffering, difficulties and worries to proclaim this message that Jesus is the redeemer who has conquered the evil in the world. Be it physical evil, spiritual evil, moral evil and indeed all evils. That with Jesus, life will be better. And Jesus is the answer to all our problems, who conquers and reconciles us to Christ. And beyond all these, Jesus takes us back to God and offers us much more than is found in the world – eternal life and peace.
SO, the problem of evil is and must be confronted with God’s presence because it shows the absence of God and absence of Christ. But with the return of man to God by a conscious effort to key into the life and mission of Jesus, man is brought back to newness of life, and the evil problems are resolved and man’s difficulties, and sufferings will find its rightful answer and solution.
Heavenly Father, we are confronted by so much sufferings, sorrows and difficulties in the world. But we are confident of your redeeming powers in Christ Jesus. May we be healed of all infirmities, problems, difficulties and restored to wholeness, happiness and peace as we put our faith & submit ourselves totally to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus, I trust in You.
Fr Norbert Uchuno
