Homily for the First Saturday of Advent
By Fr. Williams Onyilo, CSSp
Readings: Isaiah 30:19–21, 23–26; Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5–6, 8
It is difficult to care for a crowd. It is even more difficult to care for a sick crowd. And it is most challenging to care for a stubborn crowd, those who do not recognise or appreciate the good done for them. When Moses was placed in charge of the Israelites, there came a point when he became overwhelmed. He complained to God and begged him to take his life rather than burden him with the responsibility of caring for such a people (Numbers 11:11–14).
Surprisingly, the Christian God is the One who willingly seeks out the sick, the stubborn, and the straying in order to restore and help them. Jesus himself is portrayed as the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine obedient sheep to search for the one who is wounded, stubborn, or lost (Luke 15:4).
In today’s Gospel, Jesus moves through towns and villages, seeking out the sick and healing them-freely. He goes further by delegating this compassionate authority to his disciples, commanding them even to raise the dead, also free of charge (Matthew 10:6–8).
In the first reading (Isaiah 30), we see God reconciling with the stubborn people of Jerusalem, healing them and even restoring their barren land, despite the fact that some of them had abandoned him to seek help from Egypt. What a caring, merciful, and compassionate God we serve!
Yet today, when we look at ourselves as Christians, we see that many of us shy away from being truly Christ-like. We often avoid crowds, keep away from the sick, and quickly lose patience with the stubborn-the very ones Jesus calls the lost and abandoned. No wonder He said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).
Today, we pray that God will give us the heart and mind of Jesus Christ, so that we may care as he cares, seek as he seeks, and love as he loves. Amen.
