HOMILY FOR FRIDAY OF THE TWENTY-SIXTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR A.
HOMILY THEME: LIVING THE FAITH
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
HOMILY:
(Lk. 10:13-16)
In the day’s Gospel Jesus showed His disappointment against the people of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum. They were Jewish communities who were expected to welcome the Messiah as promised by God. Jesus experienced rejection from these places making it impossible for Jesus to preach effectively and do miracles. He praised the people of Tyre and Sidon who, like the people of Nineveh, were open to Jesus and showed repentance. The Gentiles were going ahead of the Jews in the race for salvation.
Faith is the necessary ingredient of our relationship with God. Whether it is healing, praising, listening to the Good News, repentance, receiving the sacraments, etc., our faith in God connects us with God who gives us the graces we need. Thus, even if the Jews were the chosen people, their lack of faith made them unworthy of the grace of salvation. The rejection of Jesus plugged the conduit of grace between God and His people.
It follows that our fate also depends on us. God will always provide the grace. If we are worthy, grace will flow in us. In our present situation, being a Catholic Christian does not guarantee salvation. We ought to live our faith. Our baptism did not end on the day we were baptized, nor our confirmation, marriage, reconciliation and the rest of the sacraments and sacramentals our faith provides. We need to live them. The graces we received will not be of any use if we neglect to make use of them. They are advantages if lived. They are nothing if unused.
