Homily: January 22, 2025, Wednesday of the Third week in Ordinary Time (“Stretch out your hand.”)

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 Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

Why did Jesus ask the man to do that?

Dear Children, now I, Fr. Nivin, tell you the same, please stretch out your hands. Both hands. Wonderful! Ok, you can put your hands down now.

Was it difficult for you to stretch out your hands?

Not at all. How easy it is for us to stretch our hands, because our hands are working fine. But in the Gospel we read about a man with a withered hand.

Do you know what it means to have a withered hand?

It is a dying hand, the muscles and nerves are dead, so the hand is left with just skin and bones. It is totally useless, and the person can no longer control or move it at all. 

It would be impossible for the man with the withered hand to stretch out his hand like we did. So why did Jesus ask him to do that? 

Wasn’t Jesus asking him to do something he was unable to do?

Indeed. But by asking the man to do something he was unable to do, Jesus could then show what God was able to do. That man can no longer use his hand, but God can! That man can no longer stretch out his hand, but God can!

On one condition… that the man trust and obey Jesus.

Even though the man knew it was impossible for him to use his hand, impossible for him to stretch it out, yet he obeyed Jesus and did as he was told. And what happened?

Not only was he able to stretch out his hand, his hand also became normal immediately. His withered hand was healed and became a normal hand like yours and mine. Jesus did not even touch him or do anything else.

This gospel passage tells us three important things: One, God can do the impossible. Two, Jesus has the power to heal with just a word. Three, we must trust Jesus and obey Him. We must do whatever He tells us, as Mother Mary would remind us.

If the man with the withered hand did not believe Jesus and thought Jesus was crazy to ask him to do something impossible, do you think his hand would have been healed?

I don’t think so.

We are so blessed we have Jesus with us at every Mass, and He is always ready to heal us and help us. But remember, after we receive Holy Communion, we must then keep silent and focus on Jesus, listen to what He could be telling us, so that we can do what He tells us.

We must always be thankful for everything that we have, everything that we are able to do.

So, let us all now stretch up our hands, reaching up to God, to Jesus and say together, “Thank you, Jesus”.

Thank you, Jesus. Amen!


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