Fr. Vincent Nguyen

Homily - February 3, 2019 ~ C Or 4 Sunday

“Nobody cares for me” seems to be the worst of all human feelings and emotions. Sometimes, it seems that no one cares for us when we are lonely when we are far away from home, when someone we loved passed away, and when we are hurt, especially by someone we trust and love. “Nobody cares for me” is the worst lie that the devil tries to deceive us.

We the disciples of Jesus receive three gifts from Him: faith, hope, and love. We have faith in God who is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is Love and who gives us hope. But the devil tries to uproot these gifts and sow in our hearts the three vices of distrust, despair, and hatred. First, if nobody cares for me, God does not exist or if He does, He doesn’t care. Second, if God does not exist or if He doesn’t care, I have no hope. Finally, if nobody cares for me, why should I care for others?

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,
a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

That is God’s answer for the feeling of nobody-care-for- me. If we ever doubt God’s love and care for us, let these words of the Lord assure us. If we ever think we are abandoned, the Lord tells us otherwise. He knew us even before we were formed. He dedicated us even before our birth. From all eternity, our names are written in His Heart. Even when we turn away from Him, He sent His Beloved Son to give us hope. None of us should live in despair. We know that God cares for us, our families and friends care for us, and the Church cares for us. Nobody should be left behind.

If we are loved and cared for by God and the people around us, we, in turn, need to love and care for others especially those who are most in need of love. Saint Paul teaches us today: “If I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing...If I give away everything I own, ... but do not have love, I gain nothing.” We are true disciples of Jesus only when we show love and care for one another. We need to look for those who are abandoned and left behind, telling them: God cares for you, and we care for you.

When I read the first reading to prepare for the homily, my very first thought was about the new abortion law in New York. By saying these words to us, God gives the final answer to those who advocate abortion:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I dedicated you,

The Lord knew us before He formed us in the womb. From all eternity, our names are written in His Heart. Each child being formed in the womb is loved and cared for by God. Children both born and unborn are to be loved and protected. We need to pray for the conversion of hearts of those who are involved. We need to pray and care for the parents who suffer post-abortion, telling them that God wants to forgive and heal their wounds.

Let us always remember that everybody is loved and cared for by God.