CYCLE II: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)
CYCLE II: HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 19TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
HOMILY THEME: GOD IS EVER READY TO PARDON US REGARDLESS OF OUR SINS: BE FAITHFUL TO HIM, BE FAITHFUL TO YOUR SPOUSE
BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU
HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF SAINT MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, PRIEST AND MARTYR
READINGS: EZEKIEL 16:1-15.60.63, PSALM ISAIAH 12, MATTHEW 19:3-12
One of the greatest acts of infidelity and ungratefulness both to God and man is forgetting the good deeds done to us. This explains why the Psalmist cautions us: “Never forget the deeds of the Lord!” (Ps. 78:7b). Today, we see God promising pardon to his people regardless of the many times which they were unfaithful and ungrateful to him. He won’t divorce us under any grounds, rather he will as always, wait for us to change and return to him. We too should learn to be like God by:
mending our relationships,
soothing our wounds,
working for peace and reconciliation in all spheres of our lives.
Dearly beloved in Christ, like the Israelites, we’ve been through deserts and wildernesses of ailments, hardships, poverty, accidents, bad governments, insecurity, failed projects and so on. Through these all, God has faithfully kept his word to be our refuge and surest help in time of trouble (Ps. 46:1) by constantly protecting, providing and sustaining us. Through our various journeys in life, we, like the Israelites have failed God, denounced him by our ungodly THOUGHTS, WORDS, ACTIONS AND INACTIONS; indeed we’ve angered him time and again. Yet, been the loving God that he is, one whose mercy endures for ever (Ps. 136:1b); he turned his anger away repeatedly and comforted us (Ps. 12:1). He has not counted our guilt but has always acted mercifully towards us all. He promises to remember his covenant with our fathers and pardon our crimes (Eze. 16:63). We may do well never to forget God’s good deeds, repent, cover our faces in shame and return to him! When we do this, his anger over us will pass away and he’ll comfort us (Isa. 12:1).
Jesus puts his stamp on marital life, a stamp that has always existed from creation: ‘The marital union is everlasting. Once bonded together, it should not be tempered with, come what may!’ Divorce is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the very fabric of family life. It is a menace disrupting and damaging the original destiny of marriage as ordained by God in Genesis 2:24 that man and woman leave their parents and stay together as ONE BODY. Jesus repeats this teaching and the apostle Paul also takes it up in his letter to the Ephesians 5:31, emphasizing the mind of God as regards the indissolubility of the marriage union.
In our contemporary society, divorce has been normalized, and single parenting is on the rise. PEOPLE MARRY TODAY ONLY TO BE SEPARATED TOMORROW, reasons advanced for this are simply flimsy and preposterous. Today therefore is a call to retrace our steps as regards marriage. Proper courtship, well nursed and nurtured love, ardent preparation for marriage is of the essence here. Marriage is not an institution from which people graduate after a period of time; it is not a game that elapses after the apportioned time. Marriage is a life that is meant to be lived, lived in perpetuity, in love and in complete self-sacrifice. No break ups, no vacations, no staying apart.
May we live our lives loving and cherishing God’s works in our lives, amen. May we uphold and preserve the original dignity of marriage and family life as ordained by God from creation, for good families make good nations. Amen.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, a man who knew exactly what fidelity to God meant. He was arrested and imprisoned on two different occasions for the sake of the message of Christ, yet he never turned his back on God. He willingly gave his life to save the young Polish soldier, Sergeant Gajownickek. He was starved from 24th July, 1941 to 14th August and since he wouldn’t just die, the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, Fritsch had him injected with carbolic acid.
His inspiration was the Immaculate Virgin Mary and his zest and love for Christ and his Church. God demands nothing but a total commitment, zest and love for him; he’d want us to sacrifice everything we own so as to advance his kingdom here on earth.
READILY GIVE YOUR LIFE FOR OTHERS, FEED AND HELP OTHERS
