Homily for Ordinary Time 5
February 4, 2024
For You, Jesus
I am
going to teach you a simple, easy, and quick way to become a saint – and it all
boils down to a three-word prayer. Yes, it really is that simple. The prayer is
this: “For You, Jesus.”
Saints
have been made with nothing more than this prayer and mindset. Mother Teresa
was once washing the sores of a dying man who reeked and was covered in filth.
A reporter was standing nearby and was repulsed by the sight. He said to her,
“I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” To which Mother Teresa responded,
“Neither would I. But I would do it for love of Jesus.”
To do
all things and to endure all things for love of Jesus – this is the secret of
sanctity, and at the same time, it makes all things sweet.
This is
important when life becomes bitter. We see two portraits of suffering in today’s
readings. First, Job says that “man’s life is drudgery” – he believes that
suffering is completely meaningless, so try to avoid it at all costs. We
definitely see this in today’s world – a philosophy called “hedonism” which
says that pleasure is the highest good, so if something is unpleasant or boring
or difficult, we shouldn’t do it or endure it. But lots of worthwhile things
involve suffering – being physically fit, having a healthy marriage, having a
relationship with God. So clearly avoidance of suffering isn’t the way to go
(and it’s never fully possible, either).
In contrast,
Jesus appears to heal everyone of everything – does that mean that God wants to
take away all illness? Sometimes you will hear preachers, mostly Protestant
evangelicals like Joel Osteen, preaching something called the “Prosperity
Gospel” – which is the idea that God wants to take away all of our suffering if
we just have enough faith, devotion, and positive thinking. But Jesus does not
heal people solely for the benefit of their bodies – rather, He heals to
increase their faith, that they may realize He is the true Messiah. As Pastor
Rick Warren likes to say, “God is more interested in your character than your
comfort.”
So if
suffering isn’t a meaningless reality to be avoided at all costs, and if God
does not always will our physical healing, what can be done with suffering?
We come
back to that three-word, transformative prayer: For You, Jesus. The secret to making
everything in life valuable and sweet.
Suffering
is meant to do two things. First, it is meant to transform us and make us like
Christ. The old story goes that a young boy was watching Michaelangelo carve his
famous statue of David out of a giant block of marble, and after a while, the boy,
in awe, said to the famous sculptor, “How did you know he was in there?” To
which the sculptor responded, “I simply removed everything that wasn’t him.” In
the same way, Christ wishes to be revealed through your virtue, but He must
first remove everything that isn’t Him. However, if a block of marble had
feelings and could speak, I bet it would find that chiseling process rather
painful! Likewise, Christ sometimes painfully strips away our sins and vices, our
selfishness and our self-reliance, that He may be revealed in us. For You,
Jesus, that You may live in us.
Second,
suffering is meant to be offered to God as a living sacrifice. There’s a great
story in the life of King David in 2 Samuel where a devastating plague had
struck the land. A prophet speaks to David and tells him that to end the
plague, King David needs to offer a sacrifice to God. David then goes to a
certain man and asks to purchase his barn so he can offer a sacrifice to God to
end the plague. The man replies, “Of course, take it for free, and take any of
my cattle, whatever you want.” But David, in his integrity, insists on paying
and replies, “I will not offer to my God anything that costs me nothing.”
What a
great attitude of faith! I will not offer God something that costs me nothing.
So we suffer so that we can offer God something of great value that is taken
away from us – a friendship, our health, or anything else that God requires. For
You, Jesus. One time I was at a family’s house for dinner, and their
ten-year-old son refused to eat his broccoli. It wasn’t obstinacy; it literally
made him nauseous. He wanted to obey his parents, but felt physically unable to
do so. So the parents and I gave him a pep talk: “Offer this to Jesus! Make it
a sacrifice of love!” He did so heroically, and was able to eat the entire
portion. It was love of Jesus that overcame his natural disgust – it cost him a
great deal, and thus was a beautiful act of love, For You, Jesus.
Anything
and everything for You, Jesus. When we are rejoicing with friends. Before playing
a game. Before your workday. During a quiet study hall. When stuck in a traffic
jam on the Merritt. For You, Jesus. Everything we endure, and anything we do
(that’s not a sin) can be offered to God. St. John Vianney once said, “Here is
a rule for daily life: do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.”
Everything else that we do, everything we enjoy, everything we endure – for You,
Jesus.
Try this
prayer frequently. It will make you a saint, very quickly.
For You,
Jesus.
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