SIN IS THE SICKNESS OF THE SOUL, WHICH ONLY JESUS CAN CURE-HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 13TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME June 2022

SIN IS THE SICKNESS OF THE SOUL, WHICH ONLY JESUS CAN CURE

Matthew 9:9-13

Good morning dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,  following the Gospel reading of today, the Holy Mother Church guides us to contemplate sin as the sickness of the soul that only Jesus can certainly cure. In our local parlance when one is described as “the walking dead”, it is mostly in reference to a person who may appear physically sound but is spiritually dead.  In the eyes of people, the person may look alright bodily but deep down in the soul, the person is a walking corpse. Friends in Christ, just as the human person can be physically sick, so also the human person can be spiritually sick. Just as there are causes of physical illnesses, so also is the cause of spiritual sickness. Sin is foundationally the sickness of the soul. It thwarts the union or communion of the human person with God; and terminates the channel of the inflow of graces upon the soul. It is pertinent to note that all sinners are sick. Whether original sin or actual sin, sin deforms, damages, and disfigures the human person; it weakens the human person and destroys him or her from deep down the soul by terminating the soul from its source of life. However, just as the human person visits the medical doctor for treatment when physically sick so also do sinners need to visit the physician for healing. Beloved in Christ, Our Lord Jesus Christ is the great physician.  Only he can cure the spiritual sickness of the soul. Only he can graft the lost and sick soul back to its source of life and existence.

In the gospel reading of today, when the Pharisees grumbled that Jesus was eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus said to them: “those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mt 9:12). With the gathering of sinners around him, Jesus described himself as the physician to all sinners, the healer of their souls. He is the one whom the word of God narrates as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Jn 1:29).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the greatest of all sickness or disease is when a sinner thinks himself or herself a Saint and does not have any need of the Jesus, the physician of the soul. Just like the Pharisees who considered themselves righteous and have no need for repentance. This is a cause for concern because many are walking dead who, out of pretence had not been able to tell themselves the truth that they are indeed spiritually sick. They isolate themselves from Jesus even at the sacrament of penance. They offer sacrifices but show no mercy to their souls. This calls for a deep-seated reflection on the soundness of our being: physically and spiritually. 

We pray this day that as we submit ourselves to Jesus the great physician. May he take away our broken hearts and heal us holistically, restoring peace, joy and holiness upon us. May God bless you in all your resolution this day. Amen

Have a wonderful day!

Fr Remi osj