Homily: Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time

Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time (Heb. 2:14-18) “Our God Understands”

Is the Christian God a God of detachment? Or is the Christian God a God who is united with us? The Christian God is different than all other Gods that people have known.

The writer of Hebrews lived in a Greco-Roman culture. In that culture the Gods were unconcerned with what went on with humanity. The God’s lay on their couches in the heavens eating their nectar and hurling down their lighting bolts to the earth. Meanwhile natural disasters occurred. Wars took place. A host of other misfortune impacted humanity.

The Christian God on the other hand in the person of Jesus came to earth with a body like ours. He was made of flesh and blood. He struggled with illness. He had sorrows in his life. He had to worry about how he would get his daily bread. He was attacked by his enemies and his friends disappointed him. We know that he understood the struggles that human beings went through.

The best ministers are those who have gone through the same struggles that those who they try to help have gone through. People who struggle with addiction are the best counselors for those with addictions. A person who has had a loved one die is the best minister for those who grieve. An individual who has learned to live with a debilitating illness is the best minister for those who have just been told that they will always have to struggle with physical limitation. A person who has had a faith crisis is a wonderful witness for those who find it hard to believe in God.

We believe in a God who is not detached. No, we believe in a God who came into the world and lived as we do. When we have a crisis of some kind we don’t have to wonder if God understands. A Christian knows that God understands. Nothing is so consoling is to have someone who can empathize with us. Jesus, our God, is always empathetic as we try to navigate the difficulties of life.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Do I believe God understands what I go through every day? How do I know God does?

2.    What is one major difficulty I have? Did Jesus go through anything like this?

 Dear Parishioners,

           We will be saying goodbye to three members of our Pastoral Council tonight. Liz Lareau, Denise Maynard and Joann Mack have all served two terms on our council and they also served an extra year because of the pandemic so all of them have been on the Pastoral Council for seven years.

          They have engaged in numerous projects in their time on the council. Liz helped with social media. Denise was the president of the council for a couple years and led our last census. Joann was instrumental in getting our St. Vincent DePaul started. They have not sat on their hands but have been worker bees and served our parish well. Please thank them when you see them and compliment them on a job well done.

          May Our Lady Pray for peace in our World today.

          Fr. Mark