A Homily on Lk.4: 31-37: Pool of Positivity (2-9-25)

A Transformative Homily on Luke 4:31–37: The Power of Being a Source of Positivity ( 2-9-25)

Praise be to Jesus Christ

A farmer was working on his farm, replanting the old plants. He found a scorpion struggling to emerge from a hole. Feeling pity for the creature, the farmer made an effort to help it escape and save its life. The poor farmer also made an attempt to feed it, giving it some water. While sipping the water, it stung the farmer’s hands. The farmer fell to the ground in pain and cried out for help. His wife who came in seeing the scene commented: It is your nature to help and it is scorpion’s nature to sting. Despite of the positive approach it received, it gave a negative response to whomever approached it.

Today’s Gospel shows us how people responded emotionally to the teaching and miracles of Jesus. Unlike the scorpion that returned harm for kindness, Jesus always spread positivity, even when He faced negativity. The Gospel says: “They were amazed at his teaching, because his words had authority” (Lk 4:32). Again it says: “All the people were amazed and said to each other, ‘What words these are! With authority and power he gives orders to impure spirits and they come out!’” (Lk 4:36). Their amazement was a positive response to something wonderful and extraordinary. Jesus, as a true human being and an excellent teacher, filled His listeners with joy and hope. Let us look deeper into this message.

Jesus is the perfect human model. Human being is a physical, mental, spiritual and social being. Jesus was a true expert who excelled in all these phases. Human life is a network of relationships too. Expertise of connecting lies mostly on the rate of relationship building. And it is the beautiful manifestation of an individual’s skill and ability to make impact on their fellow being. Jesus had a lot of enthusiasts and followers who were largely influenced by His character. In today’s Gospel too the audience were amazed or surprised at his words and acts. Jesus could impress his audience positively because Jesus had this positivity in His inner self. And this was not merely a positive emotion that remained in a peripheral level but it was a true joy that He experienced with the inner bond with the Trinity. As it is written: “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Mt.12:34). Jesus was always emotionally matured and balanced. He acted with kindness to the sick by healing a man with skin disease (Mt. 8:1-4), empathetic to the sorrowful comforting the family of Lazarus (Jn 11:1-44), motherly to the hungry by feeding the hungry (Mt 14: 13-21), forgiving to the sinners by offering salvation to Zacchaeus and family (Lk. 19:1-10), concerned to the children by blessing them (Mt 19:14-15).

Nobody wishes to be with a person who expels negativity. They are like porcupines who has thorns in their body. They attack whomever they are approached. Negativity repulse one from God and Humans. Galatians 5: 19-21 says “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God”. Negative attitude blurs our vision even from observing good. As a quote speaks “A negative attitude can be contagious and spread to others, bringing down the mood of everyone around”. Holding on to a negative attitude, hurting our Ego, upholding the prejudices about others, keeping hear to gossips and opening door for negative influences through media and other worldly teachings may also sow negativity in our hearts.

Let us introspect … A small word of appreciation gives a sense of acknowledgement than humiliating our friends, Holding the anger for a moment and responding calmly maintains the peace and joy in the family than out bursting to an issue, humour sense in a community can make it livelier than distancing from each other in hectic schedules. So let us keep in mind that emotions have a significant role to play in our recurrent interactions. Be Positive and Emit Positive. It can transform our lives….and other too…

 Lord, transform my negativity to positivity. Amen

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God Bless…