Homily – VII Sun, in Ordinary Time(B) ’12 Father Joseph
I remember it like it was yesterday…my sister came home from the “Dime Store” one afternoon in the Fall of ’69 with a new record. We must have played that song a dozen times that day…the song, “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s my Brother” made famous by The Hollies. The song was all over the charts and caught-on quickly as a symbol of the civil rights/peace movement. I think of this song fondly and listen to it often; it came to mind when I pondered today’s Gospel. Something of its words come to life in the action of the four friends of the paralyzed man and their compassion for their friend. Jesus called their good deed by its real name…FAITH! Their faith led them to do whatever was necessary to bring their friend to a place where he could be helped and healed. St. Paul speaks of this kind of faith when he says, But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us in God; he has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as the first installment.(II Cor 1:22)
Our own faith is strengthened by this gift, this “first installment.” In hearing the Good News and the message of salvation in Jesus Christ, we are thereby blessed with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit helps us “absorb” the Gospel and make it a pattern for daily living. The four men and their paralyzed friend were blessed in ways they could not imagine as they witnessed the power of the Gospel. What about this curious notion of the gift of the Spirit as a “first installment?” In Greek, a word used to describe the Holy Spirit is arrabon, translated as “earnest money” or “first installment.” Arrabon served as a guarantee that the rest of what had been promised would follow. It makes sense that St. Paul would use this expression for the gift of the Spirit, a “first installment” of the fullness of heaven promised to us.
The Gospel…the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist…are given to help us “tear open” our hearts and souls and hands and move closer to Jesus…just as those faith-filled men did for their paralyzed friend. It is that same Jesus, God’s “YES,” who allows us to say, with confidence, He ain’t heavy…She ain’t heavy…he’s my brother…she’s my sister! And, even if the road of life is long with a-many a-winding turn, we can be confident that Jesus is with us in Word and in Sacrament.
If this does anything for us, it calls us to our faith into action…the bear those “loads” in life for others…for Jesus’ sake. Parents do it all the time for the future of their children; more and more grandparents are doing it…caring people, like you, do it for their sick and elderly…retired folks are shining examples of charity and the gift of volunteerism…those called to ministry and apostolic works are called to lift the burdens of many “loads:” sorrow, illness, despair, the anger and resentment of others, the burden of estrangement. Some of these loads, left uncarried, divide families, destroy marriages and friendships, and even create false martyrs our of those who would rather bear such burdens alone than reach-out for help.
In all the burdens we may be called to bear in life, the lesson of today’s Gospel is a strong one. Every load, however great or small, is made lighter when it is shared with others…when we are willing to do our part in Jesus’ ministry of love. Jesus will continue to give us nourishment and strength for our pilgrim journey until there are no more burdens to carry. As we consider what a gift that lightening some else’s burden can be…as we reach-out to help carry someone else in the “heaviness” of their suffering for Jesus’ sake…the words of that ballad might just continue to inspire us:
It's a long, long road... From which there is no return... While we're on the way to there... Why not share... And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all... He ain't heavy, he's my brother
