Homily: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 9, 2003

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

My sisters and brothers in Christ:

"Give praise to the Lord for his kindness, for his wonderful deeds toward men. He has filled the hungry with good things, he has satisfied the thirsty" Ps. 106, 8-9, Today's Communion Antiphon

Today we contemplate the beginning of Jesus' public life. In St. Mark's Gospel it starts with Jesus leaving Nazareth, his home town, choosing his first disciples as he went along the lake, going to the Synagogue in Capernaum and then going to the house of his first disciples Simon and Andrew.

It was just a simple, normal, very human beginning. Nothing extraordinary, no big crowds or spectacular miracles, but we know that God's things are in that way.  We can say that the beginning of Jesus' public life has the simplicity of the things of God. The simplicity of the Annunciation or the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and at the same time we are contemplating the action of God among us. God with us.

It is so normal that we can even see in this passage of the Gospel how Jesus’ life was. We can title this passage, a day in the life of Jesus. There are three clear moments or instances in what it seems to be a typical day in the life of Christ: Prayer, missionary work and healing ministry. It can also be summarized in one word, Love/Charity. Love of God and love of others.

It is a great synthesis of what Christian life is supposed to be. This past Tuesday we had, here at the Cathedral, the funeral for Fr. Ed Judy, a Capuchin priest, who was the director of Samaritan house, in Denver. It was a beautiful ceremony for someone who dedicated his life to the service of the poor.

There were several things that drew my attention. One of them happened at the beginning of the Mass. On top of the casket they had three objects. A crucifix, he was a Christian, a Book of the Gospels, he was a priest and they also had the constitution of the Capuchin order -- they explained that it is a custom to place the constitution on the casket because anyone who puts into practice the constitutions of the order is assured of going to heaven.

As I was reading today's passage of the Gospel, I thought to myself, these are the constitutions of Christian life. Prayer and Charity. If we practice them, we are assured of going to heaven!

To me it is really interesting to see that Jesus' first priority is prayer. "Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed". For many people, including the Apostles, it was kind of a waste of time.

You can imagine the scene. Early in the morning, people just getting up after a night of rest, They all needed it because the day before they were probably up until late, curing the sick, driving out demons, etc. They were probably asking each other, Where is he? Did he get up early? Is he gone? "Simone and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, 'Everyone is looking for you'. What are you doing by yourself? People need you, take care of them! Get busy working!

For Jesus, prayer was first. We need to ask ourselves today, Is prayer also first for me? It should be, among other reasons, because it helps us to develop a personal relationship with God and also because as our prayer life is so will our life be.

"It is in prayer, in talking to Jesus, that we learn to understand, to remain cheerful, to welcome and to appreciate the people God places in our path. Without prayer, the Christian would be like a plant without roots" (In Conv. 3.3.3)

Prayer that is a conversation with God. Talking to God about His things, about our things. No great formality but the confidence of a child that knows that, his or her Father is always there, ready to listen and to help us with his graces.

"Throughout our day we can and we must speak very frequently to God. He is not far away. He is close to us, beside us. He always hears us, but more especially at those times that we dedicate expressly to speaking to him, without remaining anonymous, in person-to-person contact with him" (In Conv. 3.3.3)

If we give importance to prayer, then as we see in today's Gospel, we can accompany Jesus in his missionary work. "He told them, 'Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come'.

Jesus knows His mission in life and is driven to save our souls and to fulfill His Father's plan. Jesus is our example of dedication and fidelity to His life's work.

Each of us has received Jesus' command to be disciples, and to live our lives as he requested. If we listen and hear his commands, we will live our lives with charity and mercy to others, sharing the Gospel, and being instruments of truth, justice and peace in our daily lives.

We have Jesus as our example, which may be overwhelming for us in His perfection, but there are many small ways that we can grow to emulate and fulfill Christ's request of us.

As St. Paul says in today's 2nd reading: "I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some".

I am sure that the beginning of Jesus' public life was an exciting time for the Apostles. Our time is also very interesting and exciting. We are still at the beginning of the New Evangelization and the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has entrusted us the joyful mission of re-evangelizing all the aspects of Society.

Prayer and charity. That is Jesus' example in today's gospel. In the words of a Holy newly canonized saint: "Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian has. Prayer makes us effective. Prayer makes us happy. Prayer gives us all the strength we need to fulfill God's commands. Yes, indeed, your whole life can and should be prayer" Saint Josemaria Escriva, Forge 439.