8TH THURSDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
8TH THURSDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: CHOOSE LIFE
BY: Fr. Paul Karabari
Deut 30:15-20; Psalm 1 1:1-4, 6; Luke 9:22-25
“See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.”
Oftentimes, the duality of purpose is used to show that we account for our choices in life. It is very common to see this in the Bible; life and death, good and evil, light and darkness, good fruit and bad fruit, blessing and curse. While one is used to describe what is godly, the other shows our misleading path towards the devil.
ALSO RECOMMENDED: 8TH THURSDAY HOMILY IN THE ORDINARY TIME
God respects the free will of man to choose his way of life. Moses acting on the same basis declared before the people of Israel in the First Reading (Deut. 30:15-20), “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and clinging to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” It is noteworthy that the middle option is never included. It means that it is either a man decides to be for God or he declares for the devil.
We all desire to live. All our decisions daily are geared towards life preservation. However, sometimes, we fail to know that some of the decisions we have proudly chosen have death-seed.
Serving God demands a deliberate act of choosing Him over everything else, including health, prestige, wealth, power, and authority. And such a choice can not be passive. It is sometimes exactly the opposite of what people see as saving their lives. It is about following the Master Jesus Christ who came to suffer for others. In the Gospel (Luke 9:22-29), He specifically declared known to His disciples that “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” We can hardly associate with such a leader. But this is the only true path to life. We ought to know. However, our efforts to return to God and choose Him above all else will bring us face to face with difficulties, trials, and sacrifices. Thus, Jesus counsels, if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Nobody is without a cross. Aristotle says, “He who suffers no trial is either God or a beast.” Our crosses united with that of Jesus produce blessings.
Choosing to do the right thing each time can be challenging. The right things are not always the easy things. We might have to overcome the emotions we feel. We might have to go against what we really want to do. But doing the right thing, the thing that God wants us to do, is vital if we are going to follow Him. Every day, we are faced with lots of opportunities to make the right choice. The choice to do what Jesus would do in that situation. The choice that will bring us closer to His nature. Sometimes, we might not really realise we are facing that choice – ever avoided that person in church who is always on their own? Have you ever ignored an opportunity to pray with or do good to someone who is going through a difficult time because you don’t want to get involved in their troubles? It is so difficult to constantly make the godly choice. Thus, we need to be closer to Jesus, the source of all goodness. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE. May God have mercy on us and heal our soul through Christ, our Lord Amen. Good morning
FOR A SIMILAR HOMILY, CLICK HERE >>>>>
Dear friends in Christ, We have been sustained by your Charity for the past 11years. Here we are saddled with annual bills. Please, be kind to us with your donation. Click on the “Donate” button to get started. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
