CYCLE II: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 22ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME (1)

CYCLE II: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 22ND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: LESSONS FOR MINISTERS OF GOD’S WORD AND SACRAMENT

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

HOMILY: MEMORIAL OF POPE SAINT GREGORY THE GREAT
READINGS: 1CORINTHIANS 3: 18-23, PSALM 24, LUKE 5:1-11

JESUS’ CALL AT GENNESARET: Take-home lessons
FOR MINISTERS OF GOD’S WORD AND SACRAMENT:

That they be docile enough and ever responsive to the call of evangelization. Place, time and circumstance shouldn’t be mitigating factors here.
Use every means to make sure Christ’s word reaches all men of all nations (cf. the great commission Mt. 28:19).
The people of God are desirous of God’s intervention and mercy; they want to be fed with God’s message. So, when they pester us, press on us as they did to Christ, when they are simply worrisome; kindly attend to them and sooth their thirst as Christ did.
Like Jesus, we may do well to guide the flock of God gently towards their dreams. Peter’s dream was a successful fishing night and Christ helped him actualize that. Sometimes our people need more than prayers, they ought to be counselled and guided aright.
AND THE REST OF CHRIST’S FAITHFUL:
bedience to Christ is highly meritorious on our part. Peter, a staunch fisherman listened to Jesus a ‘carpenter’ and by obeying him, he caught a haul of fish that he may never have caught throughout his career.
Even if the odds are against you, when following the Christian seem foolish; kindly stand with Jesus. Note that the hour Jesus met Peter was odd for fishing and commentators affirm that the place too was also not right for successful fishing; for Christ had said: “put out into the deep water”. Peter knew all of these but he humbly said: “If you say so, I will let down the nets” (Lk. 5:5), the result was marvelous.
Sometimes it’s better we shun giving myriads of excuses for not doing God’s will or not being the Christians that we are called to be and simply OBEY. We must believe that God knows best and his plans for us are for good not disaster, to give us a future and a hope (Jer. 29:11).
Peter’s obedience gave him loads of fish (goodness), it won him the leadership position in the apostolic college (future) and gained him a spot in eternity (the hope of all Christians). What would you rather do today; Obey God’s biding and be rewarded tremendously or give chains of excuses and reasons why you’d disobey him always?
THE CALL: that we acknowledge our guilt before the Most High like Peter did and that we count nothing as too much to lose in following Christ. Like Peter, James and John who left EVERYTHING and followed Christ, we are charged to never allow anything stand in our way of being Christian!
May we never be foolish enough to boast about men and about our possessions. Rather, may we remember that we are Christ’s and Christ is God’s (1Cor.3:23) hence we too are God’s. That so, may God who owns the earth and its fullness bless us immeasurably now and always. May Pope Saint Gregory the great, an outstanding Church leader and lover of the underprivileged poor of Christ’s faithful, intercede for us now and always. Amen.