Homily Outline: Mary as the First Herald of Christ

1. Human suffering seeks a response: our personal experiences.
   • One of the earliest memories of human suffering I have was watching my grandma suffer with bone cancer.
   • I recall the physical pain she endured, the emotional toll it took on her, and her faith that filled her with hope and peace.
   • I remember wrestling with trying to come to answer to the question of “why?”
     • Why was this happening to her? Why couldn’t the doctors do something to alleviate the pain? Why would God allow someone I loved so deeply suffer so much?
   • As I look back upon the experience of witnessing my grandma fight cancer, I realize now I was trying to figure out how to respond to my grandma’s suffering.
   • Likely, every human person knows someone who has faced a moment of physical, emotional, psychological or spiritual suffering that has prompted something within them to try and respond.
   • We, too, have likely experienced our own sufferings.
2. We can play a part in our own healing.
   • The human body is an amazingly complex organism that has the capacity for self-healing
   • Medicine and medical care has evolved over the centuries: “Over the past decades, clinical and evidence-based medicine have brought disease examination to molecular and biochemical levels.”
   • A study among experts and older adults in Taiwan offer four mechanisms that aid in self-healing:
     • Physiology: sleep, eating habits, chronic illness control
     • Psychology: positive thinking, mindfulness, optimism
     • Spiritual: pursuit of the divine
     • Interpersonal relations: friendships, intimate relationships.
   • If “illness is a state of unbalance,” then healing can be understood as a pursuit of balance in one’s life.
   • Choices we make (like eating healthy, physical exercise, etc.) play a role in self-healing.
3. Healing at the heart of Jesus’ ministry.
   • Jesus heals a deaf man (Mark 7:31-37).
   • Through physical touch and prayer, the man healed by Jesus can hear and speak clearly.
   • There are many examples of Jesus healing throughout his ministry
     • Matt 8:14-15
     • Mark 1:4-45
     • Luke 5:17-26.
   • Jesus brought restoration, wholeness, and peace to individuals and communities.
   • Jesus exercised his healing ministry through presence, touch, and prayer.
   • As disciples of Jesus, we too are entrusted with this ministry.
4. Suffering and healing remains a mystery.
   • We live in a world that is deeply wounded:
     • Violence and war
     • Injustices and discrimination
     • Neglect and destruction of creation.
   • Jesus emboldens us for the mission of healing—the mission of bringing wholeness.
   • While all may not be given the supernatural ability to heal just like Jesus did, all have the capacity to journey with others in suffering.
   • Answers to the “why?” questions of life may not easily emerge; but, through prayer, presence, and practicing empathy we may be able to share God’s peace in life’s difficult moments.
   • Self-healing for Christians is a journey of love (Matt 22:37-39)
     • Love of God: the faith that God is the source of healing
     • Love of self: making choices that promote our well being
     • Love of neighbor: a prayerful ministry of presence with others in suffering.
   • Like Jesus, we are called to confront human suffering by being aware of the imbalances in life and sharing God’s love.