HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE 24TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II
THEME: True Disciples
BY: Deacon Bill Frere
HOMILY FOR FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 16 2022
Gospel –Luke 8:1-3
This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas (Peter) (Corinthians 9:3-5)
Just recently I happened upon this passage of Paul to the Corinthians. Imagine that! Peter’s wife was a disciple and traveled with him on his missionary journeys. In fact, there is a tradition that she was even martyred alongside Peter in Rome under the persecutions of the Emperor Nero. And it resonated with today’s Gospel.
Luke goes out of his way to name the women who were traveling with Jesus and the Apostles from town to town, region to region – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and many others! Women who not only believed but contributed their resources to provide for the needs of Jesus and His followers! Given the time, it would have been rare for women to have had much wealth and resources. And yet these women gave what they had!
It serves as a good reminder that we are all followers, regardless of our age, gender or nationality. We are all children of God, tasked to not only believe but to share His message in our words and our actions.
