HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 5TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Homily for Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time.

Genesis 2:18-25; Mark 7:24-30.

*The creation of Woman 

The first reading continues with the second creation account of the human person. God created a help mate for man because he said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him" (Gen.2:18). When God created a woman and the man saw her, he said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore, a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh" (Gen.2:24-25). This is the origin of marriage.

God established marriage as an institution right from the time of creation. Hence, our Lord Jesus Christ raised marriage in the New Testament to be a sacrament of love between a man and a woman, not a man and a man or a woman and a woman. It is a union between a man and a woman so that through the love established between them in sexual relationships, they become procreator with God such that the love between a husband and a wife will bring forth children to share in the love of a family established by God.

It is this love that we see in today's Gospel by the Syrophoenician woman for her daughter, which will not allow her to take a 'No' from Jesus.

Her love for her daughter brought out in her faith, humility, perseverance, and a sense of humour. She disarmed Jesus, and He recognised her tenacious faith and declared there and then that her daughter was healed.

We must never in life allow any phenomenon or event, however discouraging, to prevent us from encountering the Lord or believing that our reposed trust in God can not bring us needed blessings.

May God grant us an increase in faith and the virtue of humility through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have a fruitdaul day