4TH THURSDAY HOMILY OF THE EASTERTIDE — YEAR A
4TH THURSDAY HOMILY OF THE EASTERTIDE — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: AN EXAMPLE TO FOLLOW
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Acts 13:13-25; Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25-27; John 13:16-20
‘If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.’
It is easy to love those who love you. It is equally easy to love those who have not offended you. It is a difficult thing to love someone who has attempted to kill you or is showing the tendency to destroy you. When Jesus washed the disciples’ feet in the Gospel of today (John 13:16-20), He was doing more than just a nice, caring act. He was setting them an example to follow. Jesus said: ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent you’ (John 13:16). At different times under different conditions, Jesus showed us how to act towards different people, including perceived enemies.
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He taught us how to have a relationship with God. And He showed us how to cope with the emotions we feel and the challenges we face. The greatest example is to love one who sees you as an enemy to the end. Judas wasn’t excluded from those whose feet Jesus washed. Jesus consistently said that Judas was to betray Him. But His love for Judas didn’t change. It is difficult to love those who possess the inclination to betray and destroy us.
At different levels and places of life, we encounter people who are like Judas. People who pretend to love us. We may even get to know some of their evil plots. It is godly to still love them. That is the demand of Christ. That is the value that separates Christians from non-Christians. It is an example from Christ we must live out. The Bible says, ‘In everything, set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us’ (Titus 2:7-8). This isn’t said to put a huge amount of pressure on us; we are human, so we will all make mistakes at some point. We fail ourselves and others. But let us try to be the best example to others that we can be. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God heal our world, bless and protect us through Christ our Lord Amen. Good morning.
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